Can I Keep You?
by DOMinMatrix
Summary: After the events of "Can I Have Your Daughter", Meliodas and the Sins find themselves as rogues wandering the kingdoms; hunting a dethroned prince, as he plots to wage an all out war for the right to rule all of Britannia while also helping Elizabeth regain her lost memories. (MxE, KxD, BxE, OC, Spoilers possible, T-M depending on ch.)
1. Intro

**Can I Keep You?**

 **Sequel to Can I Have Your Daughter**

Summary:

After the events of Can I Have Your Daughter, Meliodas and the Sins find themselves as rogues wandering the kingdoms; hunting a dethroned prince, as he plots to wage an all out war for the right to rule all of Britannia while also helping Elizabeth regain her lost memories.

(MxE, KxD, BxE, OC, Spoilers possible, T-M depending on ch.)

Welcome!

Before we begin, I want to warn everyone that this is a sequel to another fanfic called "Can I Have Your Daughter". If you haven't read it yet, I recommend going and reading it first! If you don't… well… This plot may not make a whole lot of sense! This is your last chance to turn back without spoilers! This sequel will also contain some spoilers to the manga, so if you don't want it ruined, please don't read! Also, though this will be rated T so that more people can read it, I will be labeling certain chapters as M at the beginning so that you are prepared for any adult content!

Ready?

Good.

Now begins a new adventure.

* * *

Quick A/N and intro before we get into the real reason you come here to read:

HI! My name is Ash (shortened of course).

I love my readers and love the people here on this site. Everyone who followed my previous story had been BEYOND amazing. You were the reason I decided to make this a sequel instead of ending the story. I had so many ideas coming forth from what I was writing, but I wasn't sure how anyone would react to it!

I had gotten a lot of PMs asking about my plans, and how I had decided to make the story the way I had: Firstly, I felt like where I wanted to take the story was completely different from where it initially started. It was no longer about asking permission and had become keeping hold of what you love most. And honestly, without ruining the story, that's all I can say about the process.

I love interacting with you, so please send me messages, write reviews and comments, I will respond to them. You took the time to write it and read my story. The least I can do is repay you in kind.

That's all from me for now! I look forward to sharing this adventure with you!


	2. Prologue

Prologue

Cold…

So cold…

Pain radiating through every inch of his body, his lungs screamed for air. He couldn't breathe and when he opened his mouth for air, water spilled into his throat making his lungs burn and head pound.

His arms tightened protectively around the bundle of warmth close to his chest, hoping to keep that warmth close. Keep it safe, but it was being pulled from him. That warmth was being stolen from his aching body; slowly simmering out.

His light was going to go out. He was going to lose it.

He pushed himself towards the surface, towing the warm light in his arms. He pushed even though the pain was excruciating. But the surface never came. He was trapped.

Soon, the light went out, leaving him cold and lonely in that sea. The warmth disappeared from his arms, and he was lost to the darkness.

* * *

Meliodas sat up fast, his lungs taking greedy breathes of the night air. He looked around, his hands feeling the hardwood floor beneath him. His eyes wandered around his bedroom, and he sighed. He had managed to fall asleep on the floor again. The moonlight poured into the room and his eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness. It was unusually cold for a summer night, but it was getting closer to fall.

The captain of the sins was sitting propped up against the bed he used to share with Elizabeth, twisting his neck to rid himself of the pain of sleeping in such an uncomfortable position.

He wasn't really supposed to be in here. Ever since she had woken up without knowing them, some of the others insisted it would make Elizabeth uncomfortable if he shared the same bed as her. That didn't keep him from checking on her, though. He liked watching her sleep. It was soothing.

Kept the nightmares at bay. Sometimes, at least.

Quietly, Meliodas peaked over the edge of the bed to see that she was still sleeping peacefully on what has always been considered her side of the bed, and he smiled. Good. He hadn't disturbed her. She was curled up under the blankets, warm and secure. No danger, no villains, just peaceful sleep. Her lips turned up slightly at the corners like she was having a good dream. The thought made him smile.

He knew he had to leave, though. Sighing, he climbed to his feet and tip-toed to the door.

"Good night Sir Meliodas…"

Her voice was soft and sweet, and when he turned his face to look at her, he couldn't help but smile at her peeking at him with half closed eyes. She had known he was there. Busted. "Goodnight Elizabeth…"He whispered back.

With that, he left the room and headed down stairs and out the front door of the tavern. There was going to be no sleep after that.


	3. Chapter 1: Too Early for Teasing

**SO EXCITING!**

 **Welcome back for everyone who had been following Can I Have Your Daughter! I cannot WAIT to share with you what I have in store for this group. It's going to be even better than the previous story. I've got some big plans! For those of you who are new, welcome!**

 **I wasn't expecting everyone to jump in a follow so quickly! I'm so glad!**

 **I've gotten a lot of comments about how quickly the sequel went up: I had been planning on the sequel since about chapter 5/6 of Can I Have Your Daughter. It was something I tossed and turned with for about two weeks, and then decided what the hell! So while writing the first series, I was also writing little snippet chapters for Can I keep you. So, when it was time to post everything, I was already prepared! I can tell you this series is going to be even longer than the first, as there are some HUGE developments and plot points that need covering (IE What happened AFTER they fell? How did the fights end, etc.) Everything was planned out ahead of time. So for those of you who messaged asking if I had rushed through those scenes, no, it went exactly as I planned it to!**

 **Enough of my rambling! Thanks for all of your reviews and support! Keep talking with me. I love interacting with all of you!**

 **I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!**

* * *

Chapter 1

The cold early morning air was brisk on his skin as he ran as fast as his feet could carry him. This was as close as he would come to flying while in a state of sound mind. He had been told once, that he had manifested wings while on a murderous rampage… but that just didn't seem to count to him.

Flying was an act of freedom. Murderous rampage… well… that seemed less so.

Meliodas' feet barely touched the ground as he picked up his speed even more. How far would he run this time? How long would it take to get those images of her cold form out of his head? Or conversely, how long would it take him to convince himself that she didn't need him to climb into bed with her either? Though that thought was much more entertaining. It made him grin just thinking about it.

He could almost see her surprise! Her cheeks flaring up, her attempt at hiding from him, and... oh for heavens' sake, he needed to stop that line of thought before he got himself in SERIOUS trouble.

He decided, as he began to slow down and finally come to a stop, that distance wasn't what he needed. Meliodas needed a distraction. But, for the last week, after they had begun their travels to Camelot, he found himself going back to those memories. They haunted him. That had been no nightmare.

He was reliving that day over and over.

He knew the only way to get rid of the nightmare was to confront it. He knew that she was alive and well and within grasping range… but he could not bring himself to confront the idea that he had lost her. Again… Even if it had been for only a short time.

Cold… So cold…

Meliodas' head shook violently as he willed the feelings and thoughts away. He wasn't going to give in to those dark memories. They had no place here.

The air was warming up as the sun began to rise, and light began to pour over the ground. Everyone would soon be getting up. It was time he made his way back to the tavern.

The sun was already rising over the horizon by the time Meliodas made it to the front door of the Tavern. The first thing that struck him as odd was that there was a steady stream of smoke emitted from the kitchen chimney, the second was that he knew Ban would be nowhere close to being awake at this hour. No way in hell.

Entering the tavern, Meliodas was greeted with a beautiful sight. Surely, he was dead and had gone to heaven.

Elizabeth was behind the counter of the bar, the smell of breakfast wafting through the air to tickle his senses. It smelled as good as Ban's cooking.

She looked up and blushed a deep crimson as her eyes met his curious gaze, "OH! S-Sir Meliodas, you're back! I-I thought I would…" she fiddled with the apron string that had been so long that she had to wrap it around her lithe figure twice and tie it in a bow to keep it out of the way. She looked… rather cute this way. Personally, if anyone wore that apron, he thought it should probably be her… maybe without a shirt on underneath…

Meliodas sauntered happily to the bar and found a seat as she continued to squirm under his gaze. He was making her nervous… the idea was kind of exciting. Like they were meeting all over again. This was the fun part.

"What's for breakfast?" He asked casually, pulling her attention to him instead of the pesky apron string, her eyes lighting up as she quickly prepared a plate and placed it in front of the blonde. Her movements had been smooth. Nothing like the usually clumsy woman who was his prettiest tavern girl.

"I hope you like it," she said, her face remaining flush and her eyes avoiding his. He almost couldn't stand it. He wanted her to look at him. Even still, he was happy to have this moment alone with her. With her being awake and everything. He piled up his fork and shoved a load of food into his mouth. It was quite good. He knew she had been learning a few things from Ban. Who knew she had picked it up so quickly.

"This is really good." Meliodas mused, continuing to shovel in food. He was very hungry all of a sudden. Then again, running could do that to a guy.

"REALLY?!" Her face lit up like summer fireworks, and she smiled happily at him, "I'm so glad you like it!"

Her eyes had met his, and he could feel himself being sucked into their depths. This was what he needed. He grinned at her, and Elizabeth's smile fell into that of… what was this look she was giving him? Shock? Her eyes were wide, her lips slightly parted, face a-blaze in a deep blush. She cleared her throat as her eyes suddenly slid away from his, and her teeth found the edge of her lip. This expression he knew. This was shyness. Why was she feeling so bashful all of a sudden?

"Sir… Meliodas?" Her eyes remained glued to the floor to her side, and Meliodas' brows rose, "Hmmm?"

"I know that the room I've been staying in is yours, I'm sorry if I have been causing you to lose sleep."

This was news to him. Lose sleep because of her? There was no way. But, he had to admit, from the outside, that's probably what it looked like. He smiled warmly at her, putting another forkful in his mouth, "I don't mind you sleeping in my bed at all! Don't worry about it! Besides, you need a place to sleep don't you?"

Her eyes shyly came to look on him again, to gauge how truthful he was being, perhaps? "Where do you sleep, then?"

"Sometimes, right here on the bar." Meliodas shrugged, with a playful smile on his face. He wasn't lying. He had found himself sleeping on the bar once or twice this week, but it had very little to do with the fact that he was forbidden to sleep in the same bed as Elizabeth, and everything to do with the drinking games he played with Ban.

That answer got him the reaction he hoped for, because Elizabeth's eyes went wide, "But, that's terrible! You can't get a good night's sleep on top of a bar!"

"Well, sometimes I fall asleep next to the bed," What was he trying to accomplish telling her something like that? Though, with the way Elizabeth lit up red, he didn't regret it at all. "It's nice having such a beautiful woman in my bed," His brows wiggled suggestively at her.

Yep, that's right, classic redirect. He wasn't sure why he felt the need to cover up the truth like that. It meant far less to her now that she didn't remember him than if she had. It meant a lot to him that he could see her sleeping soundly in his bed. It gave him peace of mind… and if he was being completely honest with himself, a little bit of pride too – not that he would ever admit it out loud.

"Is that really the reason?" Her soft question threw him for a loop, and he watched her bashful face for a moment in shock; could she see through him? Or was she just embarrassed that he was claiming to fall asleep next to her because of her beauty?

Meliodas opened his mouth to answer when a heavy hand fell on his shoulder, "Reason for what?"

Elizabeth must have turned another ten shades of red as she squealed at Ban's sudden appearance. The fox's sin of greed gave a hearty laugh at her expense and found the stool next to Meliodas, eyeing the plate of food in front of the captain. "Sorry Pri- uh- Elizabeth," he caught himself before he could call her princess, "Didn't mean to scare ya!" He chuckled again. "I see you put those cooking skills to use this morning. You trying to impress someone?" His eyes narrowed on her teasingly.

Elizabeth's eyes widened considerably, looking like a kid caught stealing from the cookie jar, "W-What?! No! I just saw that Sir Meliodas had left… and I wanted to make sure he had breakfast when he came back!" She smiled shyly, and found her fingers tangled in the string of the apron as she rushed to pull it off, "Well, I should get ready for the day!" She announced and made her way up stairs before anyone could say another word.

Meliodas merely smiled on her retreating form. Trying to impress someone, eh?

"Still nothing?"

Ban's sudden question was not unanticipated, but the captain really wished the guy would leave him alone about it. "Nope. Still nothing," He answered curtly before shoving another forkful in his mouth. The eggs were really fluffy.

"It's been two weeks since she woke up, don't you think you should start trying to remind her instead of making her think you've just met?" Ban stretched out, with his chin resting on the bar and his arms reaching all the way across to hang over the other side.

This argument again…

Meliodas sighed, "I already told you, because of the circumstances, I don't think trying to force her to remember is a good idea. It might make it worse. She forgot for a reason."

Ban knocked on his forehead with a grin, "Yeah, because of that tumble she took. She got conked pretty good Cap'n."

Meliodas grinned as he conked Ban over the head in hopes of knocking some sense into him, "We don't know that for sure, stupid. Give her more time."

Ban scoffed, rolling his eyes to stare blankly at the shelving holding all of the booze, "You just don't want to be the one to tell her she was dead for-"

"Drop it, Ban." Meliodas interrupted the fox sin of greed unusually cold and stern. This was his live wire. Tripping it meant dealing with a side of him he didn't want to confront himself.

Ban merely waved him off, "Yeah yeah, I got it."

Everyone wanted Elizabeth to remember. None more so than Meliodas. But was he willing to risk hurting her further, for the possibility that she would remember him? No. He was content getting to try again. This back and forth with her was like when they first met. She still acted like a princess, prim and proper – even without the memory of having learned those things. It made toying with her that much more fun.

But, even if she never remembered… he would always protect her.

Even if it meant he could never have her.


	4. Chapter 2: Stranger

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

 **I hope your new year is full of awesomeness! I am personally very thankful for the time I have gotten to spend with all of you while writing this story. This has been a pretty interesting year for me, but the last month has probably been the best thus far. Here's to it improving!**

 **If you didn't get a chance to read my AN, my reviews aren't working. After the first 9, they just stopped popping up even though it said I had more. So please keep sending stuff. If you private message it to me, I will respond. I love interacting with you all so much.**

 **I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!**

* * *

Chapter 2: The Stranger

Mama Hawk had made her claim to a fine piece of land outside of a little city, just shy of a few hundred miles outside of Camelot.

The place they had decided to set up shop was a quaint little town that Hawk knew pretty well, so when Meliodas asked him to take Elizabeth shopping for spices for the opening of the tavern, he was more than happy to do so.

"I want to go too!" Diane whined, latching on to Elizabeth like she might lose her if she didn't.

"We would love for you to join us Lady Diane!" Elizabeth smiled sweetly at the shrunken giantess, but Diane pouted a little.

"Elizabeth, I told you to just call me Diane. Why are you being so formal with me?"

Elizabeth's eyes widened, and she covered her mouth embarrassed, "Oh, right! I'm sorry! I keep forgetting!"

Diane smiled at her and began to tow her along, "Alright! Let's go get some spices!" she shouted excitedly.

"Be sure to advertise the Boar Hat while you're at it!" Meliodas yelled as he was left to wave them off with his usual smile in place. Before long, though, he turned on his heals to address the remainder of the sins hanging about the bar, "Alright, we need fresh meat for the tavern tonight. Ban and King, let's go hunting!" He shouted with his own brand of excitement. A little friendly competition was exactly what he needed to cheer him up! Besides that, the day was young and the sun was shining outside. No sense in keeping cooped up.

Ban chuckled darkly, cracking his knuckles and stretching his arms high above his head, "Bet I can beat both you lazy bastards!"

Meliodas grinned, squaring up to Ban ready for the challenge, "I'll take that bet!"

"Captain?" Merlin's voice reached Meliodas' ears and he flinched, before turning around to look at her. She had a knowing grin on her face, and he knew what she wanted.

What a slave driver.

"That time already, huh?"

She nodded at him with that same mischievous look she always gave. It was like it was her personal mission to make him feel like she had it out for him. He sighed and waved Ban and King off, "Fine… I'll catch up with you guys later."

He followed Merlin upstairs to his bedroom, where he threw himself on the bed. He took a moment to stretch out before sitting up and watch her expectantly as she closed the bedroom door and sauntered over to him.

"Alright Captain, you know the drill. Strip down." She was completely serious about it too. These words coming from her made him feel like he was about to be dissected. Nothing sexy about the request at all.

Might as well get it over with. She wouldn't leave him alone until he did.

He sighed, removing his vest and button-up white shirt so that he was sitting in nothing but his trousers. "Next time you should have Elizabeth be your nurse assistant. I wouldn't mind having her tell me to strip down." He grinned, and Merlin shook her head with a chuckle.

"Turn around, please." She instructed, twirling her finger in a circle to emphasize and Meliodas did as he was told, turning so that his back was facing her and he could see out the window. It really was pretty out. Light blue skies, little puffy clouds. It was like a scene from a picture book.

Cold deft fingers found the skin on his back making him shiver a little, "You have terrible bedside manner," he grumbled, still stuck on the idea of Elizabeth being his nurse. What a sight that would be. Perhaps he could get King to make her a little nurse's uniform?

"Your wound seems to be healing nicely. I'm surprised it took so long to get to this point, though." She hummed, pressing still tender skin around the fresh scar down his back. This was the wound Atlas had dealt him with that scythe of his. What a nightmare that had been. And with Elizabeth lacking all memory of her abilities, it was back to healing the old fashion way: time.

"Yeah, well, fighting that bastard put me out of commission for a while." The blonde sighed.

"Do you feel any pain elsewhere?" Merlin asked, as she did every time they had done this. And his answer was still no.

"I don't know why you keep expecting the answer to change." He peered at her over his shoulder with questioning eyes, and she grinned at him, "Because of what you just said."

Meliodas' brows rose questioningly as she continued, "You were drained of power. So much so that it's taken an unusually long time for your wounds to heal. Demon power or not; a fall from that height should have killed both of you." She finished with no sugar coating what-so-ever. "ESPECIALLY since you had been drained of your power by the prince's holy treasure. But, you barely sustained any damage from the fall. The only wounds you kept were those dealt by his weapon."

Meliodas remained quiet as he was suddenly reminded of something entirely too unpleasant, but he didn't let his face show it, "What were you expecting to see, then?" He asked, his voice light as usual.

"At the peak of your power; a few broken bones at least."

He smiled at her over his shoulder again and shrugged as he pulled his shirt back into place, "Guess I was just lucky!"

Merlin watched him as he buttoned his vest back up, "Something tells me, luck had nothing to do with it, Captain." With that, she exited the room, satisfied with his continued health improvement.

Meliodas stood, but hesitated in leaving. His eyes fell on the bed, neatly made, covers folded and tucked under the mattress. He could see Elizabeth laying there… bandaged, broken, barely alive. The memory laying there like a ghost.

Merlin was right. Luck had nothing to do with it…

Sighing, Meliodas shoved his hands in his pockets and left the room as well. He needed to catch up to the others and get his mind off of the past.

* * *

"Elizabeth! These herbs look great!" Hawk had trotted up to one of the many cart vendors in the little city they had been wandering around for a while. The main street was lined with vendors and filled with the smells of fresh food, baked goods, and the calls of sellers insisting their products were of the best and finest quality. It was lively and a welcome change to the relatively quiet slow nights they had been having while on the road.

Elizabeth smiled warmly as she looked over the array of spices and fresh herbs, "What all should we get for opening tonight?"

Diane leaned over the silverette's shoulder with a thoughtful look, "Wouldn't that depend on what Ban's making tonight?"

"Oh no! We have no idea what the special is going to be! What if we choose the wrong ingredients?" Elizabeth squealed in dismay, eyes scouring the stall as if all of the herbs were suddenly foreign to her.

Hawk stomped his hoof and snorted, "Don't worry Elizabeth! I'll pick a bunch, that way no matter what he makes we'll have everything he could possibly want!"

Diane nodded her approval of this plan, "Yeah! Don't worry! Hawk and I will pick the spices!"

Elizabeth stepped back as her companions began to fuss about which spices would be the best to bring back to the tavern. It gave her a moment to scan the stores and people happily milling about. Something about this setting put her at ease. Like this was something she liked doing before…

Elizabeth's eyes caught her reflection in a nearby store window, and her smile fell. She knew this was her own face, as she had seen it in the mirror getting ready every day at the tavern, but even still; this woman staring back at her was a stranger.

From her first memories… the moment she woke up; she had no idea who she was.

She had been lost in darkness for so long, she was beginning to think she would never escape it. That suspended nothingness. The only thing she could register was the pain of each breath. Sometimes she would hear faint voices speaking around her, but no matter how hard she tried, she just could not cry out to them. She could not break the darkness. She had been swallowed up by this black sea that refused to release her.

Just when she thought an eternity had passed, there was suddenly light. Faint, but warm. She reached for it, dragging herself out of what felt like hell.

Slowly, her eyes opened. They had been so heavy. And the light that streamed in burned; but she couldn't go back to the darkness. The ceiling above her came into focus first. The sound of birds chirping somewhere in the distance.

"She's awake!" The voice was a soft squeal, and it had surprised her.

She found herself sitting up fast, with wide eyes as she found she was surrounded by people she had never seen before. The act of sitting up was excruciating though, so she doubled over while keeping her eyes on the group of strangers crowding around the right side of the bed.

"Hey, easy now!" Another voice erupted to her left, and her head flung around to be greeted by the greenest – and possibly most concerned- eyes she had ever seen. Those emeralds held her, hinting at years of life and experience despite the young face the man had. They drew her in making her want to melt and run at all once.

She was terrified… and captivated.

The blonde was sitting on the sill of the giant open window to her left, keeping his balance with a foot pressed to the opposite side of the sill, with the other hanging inside the room. He smiled softly at her, as she continued to breathe heavy from the initial shock, "How are ya feeling?" he asked her casually. As if she hadn't just woken up in a stranger's bed. Was this normal for these people?

She didn't answer, her eyes breaking from his momentarily to steal glances at the others towering over her. Her eyes met his again, and this time they held more concern as his brows knit together. Was he confused by her unease? Was she the only one who thought this was crazy?

"Everyone out."

His voice was soft – casual even. He had cast away the worry in his eyes to grin softly at her again. The others began to fuss, but quieted when he looked at them, "That's an order." He insisted and the others begrudgingly started to filter out.

"Merlin, you stay." His eyes had come back to rest on her, "Sorry about them, they can look pretty scary sometimes."

A woman came to stand next to the bed, with a smile on her face and arms crossed. She looked pretty threatening. Not exactly the type to convince anyone they were safe. She must have been the one named Merlin.

"Hey, can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up?" he asked, pulling her attention back to him from the tall woman, while holding up three of his fingers.

It took a moment for her to find her voice, "Three," she sounded so hoarse… had she been sick?

"Good!" He beamed, "Is it day or night time?"

The question confused her, "Daytime, of course. The sun is out…" she answered, looking at him like he might need to get his eyes checked. What was he doing, asking her these questions?

He chuckled, probably finding her curious gaze funny, "Now, can you tell me your name?"

Her mouth opened to answer, but no words formed in her mind. It was right there, wasn't it? She had a name. She had to. Right? She searched her mind for something, anything, but nothing formed. The longer it took for her to answer, the wider her eyes became and the worse she felt. She could feel her breathing pick up, anxiety taking hold of her.

What is my name?

His emerald eyes softened slightly, the smile never leaving his face, "You can't, can you?" he asked simply – it was more of a statement than a question.

She couldn't. And now, her voice was gone. She slowly shook her head keeping wide eyes on him. "Why can't I remember? What happened to me?" she asked, feeling her anxiety rise.

The blonde climbed into the room and sat on the bed next to her, "We can talk about that later, but I think you should get some more rest first."

"What? No! I-I can't!" Her world was spinning and crumbling all around her. She needed answers not sleep. She was hyperventilating now, her head pounded, her body ached. She felt like she was going to be sick.

"If you don't rest, you could hurt yourself." Merlin spoke from her side making her look up. A hand was suddenly in her vision, fingers extending. She followed the movement of Merlin's hand, the act somehow making her eyes heavy. Then, there was darkness again. Her body falling limp.

"Elizabeth…"

In the darkness, she could feel warmth brushing against her cheek. Was someone touching her?

"Merlin, do you mind staying with her for a little?"

This was that man's voice… Why did he sound so… sad?

"Are you going somewhere, captain?"

This was Merlin's voice. They were speaking over her while she slept…

"I won't be long…"

The voices got softer and softer as she slipped deeper into sleep. No matter how hard she fought, she could not remain awake. But a thought managed to linger in her mind as she descended deeper into that darkness… Who was Elizabeth?

She was in that darkness for a long time… But she wasn't alone this time.

She dreamt of a man with bright emerald eyes smiling at her. Who was this man? Why did her chest ache when she saw him?

 _"Elizabeth…"_

She sat up fast, taking deep breaths. Looking around, the room was dark, but moonlight poured in through the large window she lay next to. The window that man had been sitting in. His emerald eyes flashed in her mind. Her hand went up to touch her forehead and immediately regretted it. The skin was tender to the touch, and feeling around she found the bandage wrapping around her head. What had happened? What was this bandage from?

Her eyes scanned over the room for the first time. It was large and well furnished, books lining the shelves on the wall opposite her. It was a quaint room, even in the dark.

A soft movement drew her eyes to the edge of the bed. Peeking just over the edge was messy blonde hair. Curious, she leaned over to get a better look and found, with a start, the man she had met before was propped up against the bed, eyes closed, breathing softly through parted lips. He was sound asleep.

Her movement must have roused him though, because his eyes blinked open, and he turned to meet her curious gaze, then smiled, "Hi there."

She was quick to sit up, her cheeks burning for having been caught staring, "I'm sorry if I woke you…" she mumbled, not entirely sure why she felt so shy all of a sudden.

"Nah, I was just resting my eyes. Feeling any better?" The man stood from the floor, stretching his limbs and rolling his shoulders. It couldn't have been very comfortable for him sitting there…

"Oh!" She examined herself for a moment, assessing the feelings she had in her body and found that she was feeling much better compared to the last time they spoke, "I'm feeling much better, thank you..." Her voice trailed off as she realized she still didn't have a name for the man.

His smile only deepened as he pointing his thumb at his chest, "You can call me Meliodas."

"Elizabeth!"

Elizabeth shook her head as her attention was brought back to the present, and her eyes fell on Hawk and Diane who looked more than a little concerned, "What are you staring off into space for?"

"Oh, it's… nothing," She lied, with a warm smile and it didn't take much convincing as they began to show her the spices they had decided on. After paying for their selection, the three of them wandered around for a while longer before deciding it was time to head back. It was already late afternoon, and the Tavern would be opening soon.

It was time to get to work.


	5. Chapter 3: Aquaphobia

**Hey Everyone!**

 **Wow, second day of the new year. Can't believe it's 2016. It feels like just yesterday I was having to get used to writing 2015 on everything. I'm hoping your new year started off right!**

 **Also, it looks like I'm not the only one having issues with reviews. Thanks, everyone who has been sending me PMs with your reviews of the chapters. I'm beyond thrilled that you would take the extra time to do that. I really love what you all have to say, so you honestly have no idea how much this means to me.**

 **I would also like to point out that I have a few reviewers who are far too smart for their own good! I love getting all of your critiques as well as guesses for how the story will play out.**

 **ANYWAYS back to the good stuff: I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy (and sometimes excruciatingly sad) adventure.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Aquaphobia

"You can't just call yourself the winner, dumbass. You're not the one who has to cook it all, so my votes should count for more!"

Elizabeth, Diane and Hawk could see the Boar Hat at the top or the hill, when, Ban's voice echoed to them. When climbing the crest of the next hill, they could see he and the others standing around three undiscernible piles; two of which outweighing the third.

"Why do you guys have to turn everything into a contest?" Diane groaned once they were close enough, and upon seeing Elizabeth, Meliodas was quick to appear behind her, his hands finding her curves, "Because, otherwise, I'll never get these lazy bastards to work."

Elizabeth's face flushed and she squirmed away from his wandering hands. "Well, Elizabeth? Who do you think the winner is?"

Her eyes widened as she looked at him and then back to the freshly hunted game in piles in front of her, "You… want me to decide?"

He smiled at her confidently, "Sure, why not?"

"I don't think that's such a good idea…" She whimpered, not entirely certain she was qualified for spice shopping let alone game judging. "Besides, I think Sir Ban is right. The person who spends the most time preparing the food should be the one who decides, right?"

Meliodas pouted at her, making her turn crimson, while Ban and King snickered behind him, "Fine, you win this time Ban." Obviously, Meliodas was a sore loser, but he seemed content in letting it slide this time as he managed to grab hold of Elizabeth's rear; making the woman squeak.

"Alright, let's get up and running! It's going to be a good night for sales, I can feel it!"

* * *

 _CRASH_

Elizabeth groaned, looking at the mess that was her person and the floor, disappointment evident in her face. She was no more graceful or good at waitressing now, than she had been when they had first met.

Meliodas grinned, watching her from behind the counter of the bar, towel drying a wooden beer mug. "I guess some things never change." He mused under his breath, placing the mug on the counter in the row next to the others.

Even as the night was coming to an end, the Boar Hat was unusually busy – having been right about this night being good for sales, they were making record money from the advertising Diane had done in the town - and he could tell Elizabeth was feeling a bit overwhelmed. When she came crashing to the floor with a full tray of food, he knew that it was probably time for her to call it quits for the night.

"Hey Hawk, we need some clean up!" He shouted, coming around the counter with a clean towel in hand, then while standing over her, offered it to her with a knowing smile. She offered an apologetic look as she took the towel from him and wiped what she could from her uniform and skin.

"Why don't you go take a bath, Elizabeth?" He asked offering his hand to her and helping her to her feet as Hawk came on to the scene.

"o-okay," she stammered, and he gave her a sly grin, "I could always join you, if you want…"

"THE HELL YOU WILL!" Hawk squealed, managing to kick him square in the chest with his hind hooves then snorting at Elizabeth, "You go on and get cleaned up. I'll make sure no one bothers you!"

She placed a soft hand on Hawk's head, "Thank you Hawk." And with that she climbed the stairs while Meliodas and the others began to kick out the stragglers and close down the tavern for the night.

"Ah, good evening Elizabeth."

The voice caught her off guard as she turned the knob to the bedroom door. Turning, she was met with Gowther's bright and inquisitive yellow eyes. Since meeting him after waking up, she had always found his eyes to be unusually cold and clinical. Like the man had no emotions. But, that didn't stop her from interacting with him as she did the others.

"Oh, Sir Gowther, I didn't see you there. Are you going down to help close the tavern?"

Gowther simply nodded his head, "Yes, I am hoping to inquire about the captain's plans for tracking the prince."

Elizabeth's brows knit together confused but before she could ask he offered her his hand, "I also wanted to give this to you. I am hoping it can help you relax."

He placed a little vial in her hand, a little paper tag tied to the vial cap read 'lavender' in a fine script.

"T-Thank you so much!" She beamed with wide eyes. It was such a kind gesture… not something she had been expecting from someone who showed little interest or emotion in anything.

"It is an oil you can pour into your bath. The aroma is said to have a calming effect on the body and mind. Will you please confirm this for me?"

And, suddenly he was back to seeming completely unfeeling once more. Elizabeth gave him a smile anyway, nodding her head as he then passed her and descended the stairs.

* * *

Elizabeth stepped into the freshly drawn bath; the bathroom steaming and smelling of the lavender oil in the water. The hot water stung momentarily as her skin adjusted to the temperature as she stepped in. Hot turned to soothing as she eased the rest of the way in and it worked deep into her muscles and sore feet. It was nice to break away from the group for a moment of peace like this; it wasn't that she didn't like their presence. She loved how truly happy they seemed to have her along – well, everyone except Gowther, though, something told her that he didn't show much in the way of any normal human emotion for anything. She worked hard every day to make sure she wasn't a burden. And she really enjoyed the company.

But, being around the others made it hard to find a moment to think. And she had so much to think about…

Elizabeth lifted her left hand out of the water to examine the little pearl ring on her finger. It was like trying to read a book in another language… she knew it was important, but for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why. Someone must have cared enough to give it to her, right?

That WAS why she was traveling with the others… to figure out who she was and to find the person who gave her that ring.

"They have to be out there somewhere…" she mumbled, pulling her knees up to her chest as her face fell.

What if she was looking in the wrong places? What if she never found the person who gave her the ring? What if she never remembered who she was?

The thoughts swirled around her head until she thought she might explode. Too many questions, and not enough answers. She sighed heavily, the sound becoming more like a low groan of frustration. She knew thinking like this wasn't going to help. Besides, she wasn't alone. The others had promised to help her in any way they could. Sir Meliodas had even offered their services…

Though, she wasn't entirely sure what a group of rogues offered as services…

Taking a deep breath of the lavender scent filling her nose, she exhaled slowly, willing the negative thoughts away. The more she breathed in that soft smell, the better and more relaxed she felt, until she was able to lay back into the hot water and allow it to wash over the remainder of her bare skin up to her neck. This was heavenly. She would have to thank Gowther for the oil… it really did do wonders for her nerves. And her mind. It was completely clear now, if not a little fuzzy.

Taking in a deeper breath, she held it and plunged her head under the water allowing her hair to soak completely in the hot water and oil.

She stayed under the water for a few moments, until her lungs began to constrict for air.

 _I can't breathe…_

The thought was so sudden and clear that it shocked her and sent a shiver through her body.

 _I CAN'T BREATHE…_

Elizabeth's heart began to pound as she found herself frozen, despite how hot the water was around her.

 _I'M GOING TO DROWN…_

She couldn't move, she couldn't force herself to sit up; and her lungs were burning for air.

 ** _I'M GOING TO DIE..._**

It was then that she found that she was no longer laying in the bathtub at the Boar Hat tavern, but instead deep in a frozen raging river. Her eyes opened momentarily, and she saw a shadow, grasping her, then pulling her close to lock lips with her, forcing air into her frantic lungs.

Elizabeth finally found the strength to force herself to sit up, screaming as she did, the act splashing water out of the tub in waves. She was trembling fiercely as she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them and sobbed into her arms.

"Elizabeth?! What's wrong?!"

Her head snapped up as she was greeted with more than one pair of concerned eyes. She could hardly see them through the tears spilling down her cheeks, and she almost didn't hear Merlin instruct all the male individuals to leave and that her and Diane would handle it.

* * *

"I say we drink until we can't see straight."

"You say that every night." King rolled his eyes, lounging on his Chastiefol while the others began to settle in.

The tavern was clean and ready for another day, so it was time for the sins to play.

Meliodas was content with taking Ban on in another drinking contest, instead of answering the numerous questions Gowther seemed to have lined up for him this evening, when a shrill scream had them all on alert.

"That was Elizabeth!" Diane announced, but Meliodas was already bounding up the stairs four at a time. He threw open the bedroom door, finding no one and nothing out of place, then he opened the bathroom door, where they found her.

She was curled up with knees pressed tightly to her chest sobbing, "Elizabeth?! What's wrong?!"

Her head whipped up to look at him and his heart sunk at how completely terrified she looked. He didn't even notice she was naked until Merlin walked to the front of the group and blocked the door, "All men need to leave. Myself and Diane will take it from here."

Meliodas felt the others behind him leave, but he stayed firmly planted, either completely missing the fact that she was talking to him, or not caring.

"That means you too, captain." Diane huffed, giving him a sideways glare as she entered the bathroom and took hold of a towel sitting nearby.

"She's not hurt, captain. I will fill you in later." Merlin insisted, and Meliodas knew he wasn't going to win this one. He nodded and turned to leave, "Take care of her." He stated and left the bedroom, allowing for the door to nearly shut, but catching it with the heel of his boot before it could close all the way.

"Elizabeth? Are you alright?" He heard Diane's voice soften.

"I-I was d-drowning..." Elizabeth's voice was shaking through her tears.

"In the tub? Silly, there's not enough water to drown in!" Diane was trying her best to lighten the situation, but it didn't sound like it was reaching her.

"N-No! I was drowning in a river!"

Meliodas' eyes widened, and he pressed closer to the door. Was Elizabeth starting to remember? Why of all things did she have to remember that?!

"You remember drowning in a river?" Merlin's voice was calculating, and Meliodas reminded himself to let her know once more that she was terrible at consoling people.

"I-I don't… I don't know. I was here in the tub… and then I was in a river. Someone was giving me air. I thought I was going to die…"

There was a sound of rushing water, probably from someone helping her to stand in the tub to get out.

"You've never had any memories while bathing before, though, right?" Now Diane was being extra inquisitive all of a sudden.

There was a pause, and Elizabeth's voice sounded muffled but less shaky and more even toned, "This has never happened before, no…"

Meliodas sighed, removing his foot and allowing the door to close all the way behind him. He would have Merlin tell him the rest when they finished, but for now, he was satisfied knowing she wasn't crying anymore. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked downstairs.

It was strange to him. She had bathed in the time since waking up. It wasn't like this was her first time in the water since then… so why was this time different? Why were these memories coming back to her? Why now?

Once he reached the bottom step, he found the others waiting patiently at the table closest to the stairs, looking up at him expectantly, "What happened?" King was the first to ask.

"It sounds like Elizabeth got one of her memories back… though I really wish it hadn't been that one." He scratched his head.

"I see, so my potion worked then?" Gowther put a finger to his chin in thought, "I suppose it didn't necessarily 'work' as she still does not remember everything, but this is a good start. I will deem this experiment a success."

"Experiment? Gowther, you can't just play with people's memories like that. Didn't you learn anything when you did this to Diane?!" King yelled angrily, fists coming down hard on to the wooden table.

"I am merely attempting to help. The princess has been unsuccessful in recalling her memories on her own, and so far, any attempts by others to resurface them has also been unsuccessful. I believe this situation is different, as I was attempting to heal her amnesia," He stated with no remorse.

"Captain! Tell him this isn't okay!"

The tavern fell silent as everyone took in the far off look on Meliodas' face. He was mad, sure. It was infuriating that Elizabeth had been forced to relive that moment the way she had. But mostly, he hurt for her. The look of pure terror in her eyes only made him want to hide the truth from her that much more. How on earth was he supposed to tell her she had actually drowned in that river…

"Gowther, leave the experiments for others."

Meliodas turned to see Merlin and Diane stepping down to the tavern landing, "How is she?"

"She's resting for now; I gave her a potion to help calm her. She was quite shaken by the memory. But she doesn't seem to recall more than a few moments being submerged in the river." Merlin was rolling her sleeves down, and placed her hands on her hips.

"That sucks… the first thing she remembers and its of her drowning. How was that potion supposed to help anyways, Gowther? It could have just made it worse, man." Ban crossed his arms as he gave Gowther a sideways glance.

"The oil I gave the princess was infused with my magical ability to read memories. It was not I had no control over which memory would surface. It was my goal to hasten the process in healing as the longer it takes for the princess the remember, the more at risk she becomes when the prince of Direneth is located."

This silenced the tavern again. They were on the road for a reason; to find Atlas.

And it was clear, even WITH Elizabeth's magical ability to heal, they were at a disadvantage against Ammit; Atlas' sacred treasure that had left even Meliodas himself out of commission. But not having her abilities at all was a serious hindrance. They had all come to rely on her… and now they were missing part of their team.

"Speaking of that asshole prince, what's the plan here captain?" Ban laid his head down on his crossed arms, "I mean I kinda get why we're going to Camelot, but further south?"

"There was a rumor that an unusual number of people were spotted traveling south in large groups. Entire towns had been abandoned."

Diane came and sat next to King, lacing an arm around his and pulling close to him, "That sounds a lot like 'living puppet'." She sounded less than thrilled by the idea, and the look on King's face mirrored her sentiment, "You think the puppet master is collecting more people and sending them south?"

Meliodas shrugged, "It's the only lead we've got so far, and it's not like we have anything else going on."

"Speak for yourself, captain." Ban sat up, stretching, "I'm going to head out for a while. I have someone I need to go see."

"You're leaving again? Do you remember what happened the last time we split up?" Diane leaned past King to glare at Ban accusingly, giving King an eyeful of her cleavage.

"I won't be gone long. Back with plenty of time to kick some major snobby prince ass. But, I got stuff to do. You understand, right, captain?"

Meliodas thought on it a moment. They would be in Camelot a few days at the very least. What could it hurt? He shrugged, "I don't see a problem with it as long as you come back soon. When do you plan on leaving?"

"Tomorrow evening, at the latest. I'll be back in a few days. Way before you leave Camelot."

Meliodas nodded in agreement though he couldn't shake the sudden feeling of unease. Then again, the last time they had a conversation like this, they were on the brink of war with the ten commandments.

It couldn't get any worse than then, could it?


	6. Chapter 4: Things Better Left Forgotten

**WARNING: This chapter has content that is rated M for Mature for adult themes. Please continue at your own risk.**

 **HELLO!**

 **I just... can't right now guys. I need you to read this chapter. I think I poured everything I had into this one - not that I don't put everything in every chapter, this one is just... I don't even have words.**

 **Also, as a reminder, this series has manga spoilers in it. So, if you don't want anything ruined... it pains me to say, but please do not continue reading. (Not so much this chapter, but later chapters for sure.)**

 **Thank you,** everyone **, who continue to send reviews. It means a lot to me that you not only take the time to send me reviews and messages but the kind words you send my way. You guys make this worth it. Seriously.**

 **So please, continue to enjoy this crazy adventure.**

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Things Better Left Forgotten**

The stars above danced and gleamed brightly over-head in the night sky. It was late – really late. After Elizabeth's freak out and Ban's announcement, everyone settled into their normal routines. Ban challenging the captain to another drinking contest – honestly, it was a miracle the tavern had enough booze to sell on a regular basis – Merlin watching and egging their antics on, Gowther observing the entire group from a distance. But King and Diane had disappeared, choosing to spend some time under the natural light of the moon and stars in each other's company.

Though, it was clear Diane was more content in ranting than cuddling.

"I can't believe that asshole is just leaving out of the blue! What is he thinking? What if something happens, and he's still not back?" She groaned, throwing her hands up exasperated.

King's cheeks were flushed as he watched her; she was so passionate. It was cute how angry she was getting, "Does it really bother you that bad that he's leaving?"

Her sideways look let him know that the mere thought of her actually CARING about Ban was disgusting, "No, it's just that Elizabeth still doesn't remember anything and we're kind of in the middle of finding a guy planning wars in his free time. The timing couldn't be worse!" she rolled her eyes, resigning to lean back against the pillow Chastiefol she was sharing with King while crossing her arms. "I just think he's being more selfish than usual… Besides, what's so important that he'd have to leave?"

A small grin formed on King's face as his eyes wandered up to the stars just in time to see one flash across the sky, "I think I have a pretty good idea. Though, I can't really blame him for wanting to leave."

Crickets sang in the silence that stretched between them then. Diane's cheeks flared while she remained angry, "So you would run away too? Just abandon the captain and Elizabeth? Britannia?" Her voice was low and accusing, something that should have sent King to sputter out apologies and excuses, but instead she was met with clear determined eyes.

"If it meant protecting you, I would do anything Diane!"

Diane was surprised at first, the idea was so romantic, it made her heart flutter. But then again, it was also a sentiment born out of fear. It was because they had been forced to fight each other by the puppet master that he was playing with the idea of leaving, wasn't it?

"We can't run from her forever King. We have a score to settle with that witch, and I for one do not like the idea of leaving my friends behind."

King watched her, and admired her steely determination. She had so much heart and bravery; it was no wonder he was head over heels for the girl. Even if it was to hell and back, he would follow her.

Now if only he could figure out how the puppet master had been able to control Diane, and keep her from doing it again, come the time when they faced off once more…

* * *

Ban slammed his eighth empty bottle on the table and let out a content sigh and hiccup, giving Meliodas a wobbly grin through his drunken haze, noting that the blonde was still only on his fifth. "C'mon Cap – hic – where's your fight'n sp-rit?" he slurred noisily, unable to really make out the look of contemplation on the captain's face. He hid it pretty well under a feigned grin, but the fact that he was letting Ban win for a change was a dead giveaway.

"I think I'm going to go check on Elizabeth." Meliodas stood from the table, ignoring Ban calling him a quitter for leaving the game so soon, as he climbed the stairs. He would be sure to come back and wipe the floor with him shortly. But, for now he had too much on his mind and not enough patience to explore those thoughts with a mind reader present. Surely, Gowther had noticed his unusual behavior, there was no telling when the guy would be coming around to quiz him on his thoughts.

Reaching the second floor landing, quietly, he turned the knob and opened the door, peeking in to see that the silverette was still sleeping soundly. Either Elizabeth had worked herself up into a coma, or the stuff Merlin gave her was stronger than the mage gave it credit for. He thought it best to lock the door so that no one else could come in and disturb this moment of quiet he was being granted with her.

He found himself coming to sit on the bed beside her, softly to not rouse her too soon. The moon poured in through the large bay window, making her silvery locks shine in the light. Despite her earlier look of terror, she seemed peaceful now, dreams taking the place of a terrifying memory of drowning…

Drowning…

Perhaps it wasn't Elizabeth who needed to forget. Her outburst had brought those dark memories to the surface for him as well. Unlucky for him, he didn't just have snippets. He had every excruciating second carved into his brain like scars.

His hand came up to brush her cheek lightly, the warmth of her skin confirming that he was still in the present. The darkness of the night had made him feel like he was back there again, and this time he could not push the memories back. He was trapped in that river with her again…

Cold… So cold…

Blinding, searing pain radiating through his entire body.

They had fallen so far, and when they hit the water, him taking the brunt of the force, his body exploded with the sensation of bones cracking and breaking all over his body. He was trapped under the water being tossed this way and that, every twist was agony. Somehow, through will and determination alone, he had managed to keep his promise to Elizabeth. She was still in his arms. He hadn't let go…

But at this rate… they were both going to die.

He could not move his legs to push them towards the surface of the water… He could not use his arms to push her towards the surface for her to breathe.

Keeping his promise to her was going to kill her. He had to let her go… He needed to give her her best shot at surviving.

With the power and will he could still muster, despite the force of the river carrying them further and farther away, he lifted her chin and pressed his lips to hers, using his fingers to open her jaw, and blew the air he had left in his lungs into her.

But then she fought back.

Her arms clenched tightly around his form and she closed her mouth to reject any more air. Her lips were rough against his as she poured everything she had into that one kiss.

Darkness was taking hold of him. Clouding his vision of her in the rushing water. Feeling her warmth fade from him as his body went completely numb and cold.

 _So this is how I die…_

He had never given much thought to death. But, he had never thought he would die by drowning. He had once overheard a couple of knights talking about the worst ways to go. One had said drowning was probably the worst he could imagine, but Meliodas didn't think it was so bad… it was like going to sleep. Though, the frigid water most likely help.

 _"Captain!"_

He heard his comrade's voices in his head… he had no doubt they would be fine without him, but it did make him wonder how they would take it, learning of his death? Would they find Elizabeth first and make sure she was alright?

 _"Captain?!"_ Their voices echoed frantically again.

He admitted to himself that he would miss them. Did one even feel loss in the afterlife? Ban was one of his best friends; he hoped the guy found some semblance of happiness in his newfound freedom. Diane and King; he knew they would be happy together, they just needed to get over the whole 'being shy about their relationship' thing. Gowther? Well, Meliodas just hoped someone kept him from doing any crazy experiments on his remains. Merlin; he hoped she wise up and settle down. Though, knowing her, she was too much for one man to handle.

 _ **"CAPTAIN!"**_

Meliodas' eyes shot open, his body convulsing as his body forced the water out of his lungs, and air through his mouth and nose. He sat up fast and filled his lungs to capacity like it was the only thing he ever needed to sustain him…

He was sitting on the bank far down the river where the rapids were far less vicious than further upstream. The cold ground was frost covered, the air cold and stale. It was freezing here. He could see every breath he exhaled in a heavy mist.

He brought his hands up, twisting them around and then twisting his feet back and forth. He wasn't in pain any more, his bones were completely mended…

His eyes widened in fear as he looked around him; noting the complete lack of a silver haired princess.

"Elizabeth?!" He climbed to his feet, spinning around. Had she continued to float downstream?

Immediately though, silver hair caught his eyes. Elizabeth was no more than a meter away, laying partially in the river still, her face smeared with dirt and covered by her hair. He ran to her side and pulled her out of the frozen water and into his arms, "Elizabeth!" he called out to her, but she didn't respond.

He held his breath for a moment and terror filled him as no mist escaped her partially open lips. She wasn't breathing. His head came to rest on her chest and again he held his breath as he listened… he couldn't hear her heart beat…

Laying her on the cold frost covered ground, he pressed his lips to hers and blew air into her lungs, watching as her chest rose steadily. Good, air was getting through.

He pushed on her chest, "Come on Elizabeth!" He begged, then leaned down to blow air into her again.

No response…

"Elizabeth don't do this to me!" He growled, pumping her chest again then leaning down to blow air into her lungs.

Each time, her chest would rise and fall, but she would not respond to his efforts.

He kept going, his attempts becoming more and more frantic with every passing minute. Each time blowing air, then pumping her chest. He kept at it until he could see through the tears that were streaming down his cheeks. The vision of her becoming blurry.

"Please Elizabeth!" He growled through those tears that were falling on to her cold skin. Her lips had turned a light shade of blue. Her complexion far paler than he had ever seen her before. He rested his head on her chest again and waited, but there was no heartbeat.

He growled again and pumped her chest harder then blew more air into her lungs, breaking away to take another deep breath to blow past her lips, then again, and again, and again. Taking deeper breaths until his head was spinning. Then blowing air into her lungs again. He lost track of time and the number of breathes he tried to give her. It could have been forever, the way time seemed to halt.

And then… he stopped.

He rested his forehead on hers as he clenched his teeth and cried silently. His body wracked with a pain far worse than any cut or even every bone in his body breaking. He had made her a promise… he had made himself a promise… and he couldn't keep either. She was gone.

He laced a careful hand under her neck and legs and pulled her up to his chest, holding her tightly in his arms, yet carefully, like she might crumble away before his very eyes. The long crimson skirt of the dress she had been wearing, fanned out under her, soaked and muddy.

"Captain?! Where are you?!"

"Princess!"

"Elizabeth?! CAPTAIN!?"

Meliodas did not register the sound of his companions drawing closer and calling their names. All he saw was Elizabeth, lifeless, in his arms. The person he swore he would never lose again… was gone. Because of him… She had managed to save him… to heal his wounds… she had managed to give him another shot at surviving.

And now, all he wanted to do was die.

"Captain! Guys! I found them!" Diane's voice was ecstatic as she pushed past conifer and evergreen trees in her way. The others were not far behind.

Meliodas did not look up. He kept his gaze on Elizabeth's frozen features, determined to memorize every detail.

Diane gasped behind him taking in the open cut stretching the length from his left shoulder to his right hip; the handy work of that damned prince…

"Captain, what the hell happened up there?" Ban sounded a little angry.

Meliodas didn't answer or make any attempts at moving. His body felt like a statue, cold as stone. He could not hear them in the sorrow he was drowning in. The hand that had lift her legs to pull Elizabeth into his lap came up to caress her cheek as renewed tears streamed down his face. "I told you didn't I?" his lips turned up softly as he spoke to her, "I told you, if you disappeared… I'd have nothing left…"

"Captain?"

It was as if the entire group was hit with the gravity of the situation at the same exact moment. Diane gasped, covering her mouth as tears brimmed her eyes. King lowered his head sadly, placing a comforting hand on Diane's shoulder as she began to weep. Ban's fists clenching, angry that they had not made it in time to help… maybe if they all hadn't gotten caught up with the prince's lackeys, they could have helped save her…

For the first time, Gowther remained completely silent. He watched the captain of the sins, whose composure was the hardest to break, in complete shock. The man he called captain looked completely broken.

"So, what am I going to do now, huh?" Meliodas pressed his forehead against hers, the smallest hint of a rueful smile on his lips as his tears continued to land on her cold cheeks. "Please tell me... you must have had a reason… right?" He was sobbing now… his anguish taking hold of him, "Don't leave me here alone..." he begged, pulling her as tightly to his body as he could, with eyes shut tight.

None of them, not even Meliodas who was wrapping his body around hers while she lay in his lap, noticed the single tear that streamed down Elizabeth's cheek then.

Then there was a raspy choke. It was so soft that everyone in attendance thought they had imagined it. A figment of their anguish at losing the princess; a close friend to them all.

But Meliodas had sat up, staring at Elizabeth's face with wide eyes. She had coughed up water, and her chest was rising and falling in quick pants. Puffs of mist escaping her lips…

"E-Elizabeth?" He whispered, and the others looked on in equal parts confusion and shock.

He hesitantly placed his head on her chest and listened, as if her breaths were not enough to convince him. There it was… soft and timid… fighting to come back to life…

Elizabeth's heart was beating.

Merlin had been quick to come around and place a cloak over the princess, the motion surprising Meliodas, as he noticed his comrades' presence for the first time. He looked up at the mage with a complete lack for words.

"We need to get her back to the tavern. She's alive right now, but if you do not wish to lose her again, we have to work fast." Merlin urged, and Meliodas nodded, agreeing wordlessly.

Elizabeth stirred, bringing Meliodas back to the present. A droplet hit his hand and he wiped his face quickly before she could see him shedding tears. It was such a painful memory. It was a pain that he swore he would never allow himself to feel again, after he had lost Liz. But when he thought Elizabeth was out of his grasp forever… The pain of losing her had been multiplied tenfold. His very existence was because of her now. That alone was a crippling thought… but to have lost her because of that existence, was enough to crush his entire being.

He watched her eyes dart behind her eyelids as if contemplating whether she wanted to wake yet, and it helped ease his mind away from the past. She wasn't gone. She was right here. He could feel her warmth and her life force flowing from her body. It was that warmth that made him want to crawl under the blanket with her.

When she finally decided to open her eyes, she pulled a hand from under the blanket that had been pulled over her, and rubbed away the sleep. After a moment of looking around confused, she finally rested her eyes on him sitting next to her on the bed with a thoughtful smile on his face, "What happened?" she whispered, still groggy.

"You were really freaked out. Merlin gave you something to help, though I guess it made you really tired." He shrugged nonchalantly, managing to get his voice to sound even.

"Oh… It was that memory I had…" She sounded saddened by the remembrance of it. He watched the fear pass over her tired eyes as she recalled those few moments she had gotten back, and he wanted nothing more than to hold her until she forget everything that had ever bothered her.

Elizabeth pulled herself up into a sitting position as she yawned and continued to rub her eyes.

Suddenly Meliodas was hyper aware of the silver haired beauty currently occupying his bed with every fiber of his being. The blanket had fallen to rest, bunched around her waist when she had sat up, her long silver locks falling over her shoulders. But those silvery strands were the only thing covering her bare chest. There was a hint of a towel in view from where the blanket had fallen.

Elizabeth was completely nude under that blanket…

Was it his birthday?

Meliodas' lips turned up into a devilish smirk as his eyes drifted down her porcelain skin and tracing each of her curves with rapt attention. Completely forgetting his earlier lamentation in the presence of her naked form.

He couldn't help himself anymore. How long was he going to deny himself the woman he loved, when her skin was practically BEGGING to be touched!

Elizabeth looked up at him, eyes still half asleep and confused, looking oh so innocent and unassuming. Oh this was going to be fun. The anticipation was torture.

"It's rude to sleep naked in someone else's bed if you don't plan on inviting them, you know." He stated simply, eyes narrowed on his unsuspecting victim, fingers poised for the attack.

3…2…1…

Elizabeth's expression went from confused to completely mortified right on cue. Cheeks flaring the brightest red he had ever seen them turn and that same flush spreading over her chest. He didn't even know someone could completely turn that shade. Her arms came up to hide her body from him. His signal for the attack.

She squealed as he straddled her, one hand forcing her to lay back down with her arms pinned securely above her head. The other hand finding her waist and stomach. Fingers dancing across her skin. She was biting down on her lips to keep from making any noise.

Fine. Challenge accepted stubborn girl…

He doubled his efforts, gliding up and down both of her sides and under her arms, this time eliciting the reaction he hoped for. Elizabeth burst into uncontrollable fits of laughter as he continued his onslaught. She laughed until she was gasping for breath.

"S-SIR MELIODAS!" She gasped out through her pants and laughter, "PLEASE! I-I CAN'T BREATHE!" She cried out, squirming beneath him. Somehow her hair had managed to keep most of her chest hidden from him; a feat he was highly impressed with considering how she was writhing to escape his torture.

"I have to punish you somehow!" He mused, taking in the beautiful sound of her laughter and the bright smile it brought to her face. This was his Elizabeth.

There was a banging on the door now, multiple voices calling out to Elizabeth to check on her. He was glad he had had the foresight to lock the door.

He stopped tickling the princess he held pinned to the bed and smiled, watching her breathe heavily, some chuckles still escaping her as she recovered herself, "I-I can't believe you would attack me like that!" She smiled at him, remaining composed despite the fact that she was still VERY naked and pinned beneath him. He had to keep himself hovering above her to hide his… excitement… at the opportunity presented to him.

"But you feel better, right?"

Elizabeth's eyes widened as Meliodas smiled brilliantly at her. Her eyes searched his for a moment before her face softened into a warm smile. "Yeah… I do."

"Good. Then you might want to put some clothes on before someone busts down the door!"

The flush was back over her body as she was reminded of her earlier predicament, "S-Sir Meliodas!" She cried out, as he released her and quickly unlocked the window to jump out and land on his feet below.

Elizabeth appeared at the window with the blanket pulled to cover her chest as she peered out confused at him. He saluted her with a grin and dashed off towards the woods just as the sound of wood splintering reached his ears. As he thought, someone busted down the door.

Might as well go for a long swim in a cold pond before trying to come back to the lashing he was guaranteed when he returned.

It was totally worth it.


	7. Chapter 5: The Secrets We Keep

**Hey Everyone!**

 **Reviews are back up, and I have to say, that was probably the best part of my morning. Getting to read everything all at once like that. With that said, I wanted to respond to a few and send some shout outs!**

 **Firstly, to everyone who followed IMMEDIATELY after I posted the sequel all the way up to this point, Thank you. I'm sorry I haven't sent out this shout out till now, but it means a lot to me that you want to continue reading this story.**

 **There were quite a few of you posting about the massive amounts of feels from the last chapter: Believe me, I know. I was so emotionally spent after writing that chapter that I just could not find the words for my A/N at the beginning. I literally could not. The dark places I had to go to pull that gem out... I was like "Sniff - type type type - oh Meliodas! Sniff sniff"**

 **There were a few newer lovelies who went from reading "Can I Have Your Daughter" to reading this recently who commented: First off, WELCOME! And thanks for joining us on this crazy adventure! I'm really glad you all are liking the sequel so far. I spend roughly 5-6 hours a day (every day) writing this fic. It's something I love, and love sharing with you all. That being said, if it hadn't been for everyone's acceptance of it, I probably would have ended the story much sooner and far less awesomely than it's gotten. So thank you.**

 **The "Too smart for their own good" club is growing among some of my reviewers, I see. I won't say who because I like keeping you all guessing when it comes to how this story will play out. But, I also find it funny that so many of you are close if not on the same track. MAYBE I'll throw a wrench in the plot and see what happens... ;)**

 **Anywho... enough of my madness. I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!**

* * *

 **Chapter 5: The Secrets We Keep**

Meliodas hummed happily as he carried food stuffs on one shoulder and a barrel under his arm in from the pantry from behind the tavern. He was in a fine mood… despite the nasty bruise forming on his face and the number of lumps on his head from the numerous punches Diane had thrown at him on his return to the tavern last night.

Nope, he was in the brightest of spirits and even the side glares he received from Diane and Hawk couldn't bring him down, not that he had ever let them affect his mood anyways.

They were preparing for opening early today as they had begun to move on to the next town before it was time to open. It wasn't far. It would take no more than a few hours at the rate Mama hawk was trotting. Tomorrow they would be in Camelot.

Merlin had already sent word ahead to Arthur to let him know of their arrival. She also warned him that Meliodas would be coming to meet with him early to discuss private matters.

Elizabeth wiped down the bar diligently, scrubbing around Ban as he lounged about while the others were cleaning, "Are you really leaving us today, Sir Ban?" her towel came to rest in front of him and he peered up at her from his place on his folded arms.

"Yup. But don't sweat it. I'll be back before anyone can miss my sorry ass." He cracked a lopsided grin.

She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "What is it that you're leaving for, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Huh?" He sat up, sizing up her curious glance then avoided it, twisting his pinky in his ear, "I'm going to see an old friend, is all."

"By that, he means he's going to see his girlfriend," Meliodas sidestepped a suddenly airborne mug flying at his face and grinned wickedly at the fox sin who had thrown it. "So you can go airing everyone else's dirty laundry but we can't return the favor? That's low captain." Ban growled with a straight face.

Meliodas merely shrugged, ending what sounded like a very intriguing conversation.

Meliodas had secrets no one was allowed to tell her? He was so forthcoming with everything; it had never occurred to her that he might keep anything from her. Though, he had a right to keep some things to himself, right? It's not like they knew each other very well.

It wasn't like she knew herself at all! Her thoughts caused a soft blush to spread over her cheeks and Meliodas watched her curiously with a raised brow.

"I don't really mind you heading out. I'm just curious about the timing."

Ban managed to shoot Meliodas a devilish smile, "You have your secrets, I've got mine."

Meliodas stretched over the counter, grabbing two mugs, "Fair enough." His voice monotone, as Elizabeth brought over a bottle of beer for him and he poured the contents into the two mugs, then passed one to Ban. They smiled at each other and clanked mugs. Ever the best friends…

"Who's going to cook my scraps now?" Hawk whined, trotting sadly in from outside. He, what Elizabeth could only assume, had been conversing with his giant mother and letting her know where to go.

"Master, you could use a few days away from the scraps. You're getting kinda fat."

Hawk squealed angrily, "You take that back!" He was trying to climb and attack Ban with everything he had, hoofs flying. Ban needed only to hold him back with a finger against his snout.

Meliodas and Elizabeth shared a smile before she giggled at their antics. How could anyone NOT miss a single person from this group? Each of the sins brought something special to the mix. A necessary piece to a whole that would not be the same if one was missing.

Which reminded her…

"Sir Meliodas?"

He hummed as he turned back to look at her curiously, "Your group is called the Seven Deadly Sins, but I've only met six of you. Where's the seventh?"

He smirked at her, unable to tell her that she had in fact met all of them before, "Oh, don't worry. You'll meet him soon enough."

Her face was part confused and intrigued and part excited. Such innocent curiosity... The thought had his eyes drifting down to her blouse momentarily as their previous night came back to mind and it had him grinning like a madman.

"You're pulling him in on this escapade too, captain?" Ban couldn't help his own curiosity at this point. It was the first anyone had heard that Meliodas planned on reuniting the complete lot of them since all hell literally broke loose and the Ten Commandments were threatening life as they knew it. Had anyone told Escanor that they had been banished as rogues yet? That seemed like something pretty important to tell people…

"Mmhmm. Can't take any chances with this one. I've already sent word for him to meet up with us soon."

Elizabeth looked between the two of them, growing more and more confused. She was abruptly reminded of what Gowther had said to her in passing the day before… something about tracking a prince? Were they providing a service to someone? Was that why they were on their way to Camelot?

It occurred to her then, that she really had no idea why they were traveling at all. All Sir Meliodas had ever said was that they were on their way south and that she was welcome to join them. In fact – he insisted on it pretty fervently. Without any memories and no real place to start… she hadn't even given it a second thought.

Had that been a mistake?

Elizabeth had a general knowledge of what 'rogue' meant. She knew that it was a negative connotation, like criminal or pirate… someone who was dishonest or immoral. That didn't seem like any of them! They had been so kind to her, nursed her back to health after… after whatever happened to her. She had asked the captain of the sins about it multiple times, but he had always managed to avoid the topic and change the subject. Why hadn't he told her yet?

She continued watching Ban and Meliodas' back and forth as the thoughts swarmed her, and suddenly the two in front of her were strangers all over again.

"What's the matter, Elizabeth? You look really pale all of a sudden."

Her face flushed as her hand came up to rest on her cheek as if she could feel the difference in pigmentation in her skin. Both men were watching her now, and she began to panic internally. How had she never thought to ask?! Was that something she could even do? Outright ask them?

He was still watching her process her thoughts; now was a good a time as any, right?

"Sir Meliodas… are you…" she started unsure of herself all of a sudden.

"Am I what?"

"… are you all criminals?"

Meliodas' brows shot up in surprise, and he watched her a moment before he and ban shared a look. His surprise didn't last long though, as a knowing grin made him look like he was mocking her. "Well… yeah," he said it deadpan, like the answer had been sitting in front of her in bright red letters.

"Wait, you mean to tell me, you're just now figuring that out?" Ban laughed loudly from his gut, nearly falling out of his chair. "We don't walk around calling ourselves rogues for nothing!"

Of course they didn't. The answer HAD been sitting in front of her in big bright red letters! They had told her from the very beginning. It was practically a title to them. 'We're the Seven Deadly Sins, rogues of the kingdom of Lioness!'

"What did you do to become criminals?" She asked suddenly, not sure she really wanted the answer.

"Kidnapped a princess of the kingdom." Ban sounded so nonchalant about it, like it had been a joke. Wait… What?!

Princess?

There was a loud crash. It happened so fast, Elizabeth wasn't sure what had transpired. One minute Ban was on his stool prepared to take another sip of beer, the next he was crashing through the entrance door with such force that it not only knocked it straight off of its heavy metal hinges, but also splintered into multiple fragments and Meliodas was setting what appeared to be Ban's un-spilled beer mug down on the counter. Not a drop wasted.

What was that for? Had Sir Meliodas hit Ban because he shared one of his secrets?

Through the now open entry, Elizabeth could see ban flip and rush the opening, his face looking demonic as he stared Meliodas down while blood poured from his head, "Oh I get it, you want an ass whoopin before I go, is that it!?" his attitude completely flipped from only moments before.

Meliodas downed the rest of his mug and gave a satisfied sigh before jumping off the stool and swinging his arm around to loosen the muscles in his shoulders, "Nope, just thought I'd get my exercise in before you shoved off," he retorted with an equally smug grin on his face.

"You two better take this down to the hills, or I'll have mama step on both of you!" Hawk snorted out as he chased the two of them out of the tavern.

Elizabeth was left standing alone behind the bar, completely dumbstruck from the events that had unfolded before her.

So… the Seven Deadly Sins were criminals… and they had kidnapped a princess? She almost couldn't wrap her head around it.

A princess…

The only princess that she had known about was the princess buried on that hill… The one who had the same name as her. Princess Elizabeth. Was she the one they had kidnapped? If so, why? And, if they had kidnapped her, how did she die? And why did Sir Meliodas seem so upset by the mention of her?

Ban and Meliodas had been gone for some time, every once in a while the sounds of their continued fight would reach the tavern in thunderous crashes and quakes, letting the others know that they were still going strong.

Most of everyone spent time doing their own things, leaving Elizabeth to sit at the window next the bed upstairs and think.

Could she just overlook the fact that they were criminals? It was hard to see the others in any kind of light but good. They had saved her, hadn't they? They even made an honest living with the bar. It wasn't like she had ever seen them do anything wrong. But… now they were tracking a prince?

Oh, who was she kidding? She had no right to throw stones. She could have been anyone before waking up, and they took her in without hesitation. Didn't she owe them, at least, the benefit of the doubt?

It wasn't until they had reached the next town and Mama Hawk had settled herself into the ground that Meliodas and Ban made their reappearance. Both sporting torn clothing and disheveled hair – a few sticks protruding from the blondes'. Meliodas looked worse off, but Elizabeth could only assume it was because of Ban's regeneration abilities – something she had seen firsthand during another of the twos' sparring matches.

Before she knew it, dusk had come and gone. It was closing time, and Ban was just about to head out. Everyone was standing outside in the night air as they saw Ban off. It was a short goodbye, as they all knew he would be back before they left Camelot.

"Don't you guys go getting into any trouble before I get back, you got it?" He put Meliodas in a headlock with a grin on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, just make sure you get back in time or we're leaving your ass behind."

With that, he left. Leaving Meliodas and the others waving at the fox sin's back as he went into the night.

Merlin had come to stand next to Elizabeth with arms crossed over her chest when everyone had gathered out front, and now that everyone was occupied with Ban's departure, it was an opportune moment for Elizabeth to peer over the woman, as she didn't get the opportunity often.

She was in her normal attire, which wasn't much. A pair of skin tight shorts, a long-tailed coat that barely managed to cover her breasts, long thigh-high heeled boots, and a mischievous Cheshire grin that would put any cat to shame.

She was very beautiful… a beauty that proved very reliable when they needed materials for a lot cheaper than merchants were selling them. It was hard to believe the woman didn't have a line of suitors begging for a chance with her. Now that she thought about it, though, Elizabeth had never seen Merlin show any interest in any man for more than experiment subjects. Was she not interested in relationships? Though, being a rogue probably made it hard to settle down…

As Elizabeth watched her, Merlin's expression shifted, and if Elizabeth wasn't so used to seeing Merlin's calm and cool demeanor, she probably wouldn't have thought anything of it. The Boar Sins' eyes widened slightly as a rush of a warm wind swept around them. The slightest hint of fall in the air. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to Elizabeth. Before long, though, Merlin's eyes had narrowed as she stared intently at something ahead of her. As the grin hadn't left her lips, the look almost seemed… ominous.

"Hmmm… It seems things are about to get interesting…" she mumbled so low under her breath that Elizabeth thought that maybe no one was supposed to hear it. What was she staring at? And what did she mean by interesting?

Leaning forward just the slightest bit, Elizabeth followed her gaze, and her eyes landed on Meliodas, who turned then to give Elizabeth a toothy grin.

"Time to get some shut-eye! Tomorrow promises to be a big day!"


	8. Chapter 6: The Price of Failure

**HELLO!**

 **Hope everyone is doing well on this fine Sunday morning! Lots of intrigue from the last chapter! I wonder what mysteries lie ahead of us?! This chapter is a tad smaller than the others have been, but I promise I'll be making it up to you this week with some great chapters ahead!**

 **As always, thank you for the reviews and support you guys send me and the story. You guys are the best audience a writer could ask for! Keep sending them in to let me know how it's going. It really helps me develop better plots (and TWISTS)!**

 **I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!**

* * *

Chapter 6: The Price of Failure

"AGAIN!"

Tessa stood panting across the dark chamber from her master, his eyes narrowed on her like shining daggers in the low candle light. His features sinister as he glared.

She felt the creeping of blood and sweat down her body as she struggled to keep up with the power that her training counterpart exuded. She swallowed her ragged breath and dashed across the floor, diving to disappear into the pools of darkness she had created that covered the walls and floors. This was her dimension. The place that she controlled. She could move through this space undetected, she could transform this darkness into any weapon, she could infiltrate any living thing.

Even so… it was no match for the man she called her prince.

Without a moment's hesitation, Atlas reached into one of the pools and pulled her out by her hair, flinging her across the room to crash into the solid stone wall with a sickening crunch. She fell to her hands and knees, her vision obscured by bulbs of light and dark flashing in her eyes and lungs screaming for breath that would not fill her punctured lung. She shivered as she felt the flow of liquid down her scalp like molasses, the little drips falling to the stone floor echoing in the cavernous room.

"Pathetic. Do it AGAIN!" Her prince snarled, and her body did as he commanded. Standing even though she had no strength left.

There was a spark of something in her master's eyes, and before she had even moved, he was in front of her, his hand crashing her into the stone behind her once more as he held her by the throat. The force had cracked more than a couple bones.

Blood sprayed from her mouth as she gasped for air, the act only enraging her master more.

"You are weak, Tessa." He spat, and one glance down at his nearly healed scar told her that he was right. Had she been strong enough to hold off both Ban the undead and the dragon sin, her master would have never fallen to such a lowly state. He would not have had to go into hiding to heal. He would have already taken what he was due. She was weak. She had failed him.

And this was her punishment.

Her eyes came back up to meet his seething rage. She would take it. She would suffer any punishment for her crimes against this man. Should he choose that her life was no longer worth anything to him, she would gladly take her own life to keep him from sullying his hands.

"Your highness…"

The high-pitched sound of her sister's sing-song voice cut through the deathly silent room, but neither she or her prince looked away.

"What news do you bring me, Deidra? I'll warn you now; I'm not in a forgiving mood." Atlas' voice was even as he addressed her twin, while keeping narrowed eyes on Tessa. They were swimming with not only rage but a truly sinister delight in her predicament. She still couldn't breathe…

"I have accomplished my mission, your highness. I have found him." She beamed in her own triumph, as the 'him' she was referring to had been quite difficult to locate. But that wasn't even the best news she came baring today.

"And, yet you're still here to pester me. Spit it out."

Deidra cleared her throat, after flinching at his dark mood, "Y-Yes… I came across a quaint little town where I heard the most delicious bit of gossip."

Atlas was growing bored with her sister's banter; she could feel it in the way he itched to squeeze her throat tighter. Blood was flowing down her face from the impact earlier, trailing down her left temple down to her cheek, the prince followed the movement a moment before his eyes came back to hers.

Apparently, Deidra sensed his boredom too as she quickly continued, "There is talk of a group of rogues traveling to the south on a giant pig. The leader of which is said to be a young man with golden blonde hair, calling himself Meliodas."

The prince's eyes widened a fraction and slowly, a wickedly dark grin spread over his features. He allowed Tessa's feet to touch the ground and loosened his grip on her throat. Looking up, Tessa was greeted by a delight far greater than he had from punishing her. This was the news he had been waiting for.

"So… He did survive. Wouldn't expect anything less of the dragon sin…" Atlas's grin only grew as thoughts raced by his eyes, unreadable by his loyal servant still in his grasp.

His hand traced up her throat to her jaw, where he roughly turned her face to the side then leaned down to lick the blood that had flowed down her cheek, earning a shaky gasp from Tessa. Quickly, he jerked her head so that she was staring into his eyes again.

"Don't fail me again." He warned and allowed her to drop to the floor as he walked away from her.

Determined eyes met her master's retreating form as she felt her resolve and blood thicken, "I swear that I won't…" She whispered, as all of the shadows and pools of darkness crept along the walls and ground to reenter her broken body, healing and mending her bones and skin.

She would die before she allowed herself to fail him again.


	9. Chapter 7: Little Favors

**Hello, Everyone!**

 **I am beyond thrilled with how this is coming about. Things are starting to heat up, as we get a glimpse of our least favorite villain! Here's some responses to reviews:**

 _ **SSJ Mirai Gohan \- Thank you! I love writing it! Welcome to the fun!**_

 _ **smjieg \- I'm so glad you've joined us! Thanks for the kind words! I'm glad I could help fill the void. Sorry I couldn't post it that day... I was having some serious issues with the chapter! I hope you continue to enjoy!**_

 _ **Fanficlove2014 \- Luv, you and I both. Maybe we'll figure out what makes her so special soon enough? Also, foster that hatred for Atlas. It'll only serve you well later. :3**_

 _ **DragonIceFeather – I know. It's okay. Unfortunately, the story must go on, and he is our main antagonist. We need a reason to hate him outside of 'he's the bad guy'. And our adventure is only as good (or bad in this case) as the odds we face.**_

 _ **Sabrina-luna-potter – ****Hmm…** **That's a very good question. Perhaps we'll get a little back story into our favorite bad guy servant, hmmm? And yes. Yes, he is. And he only gets worse.**_

 _**– Sometimes less is more. And I can't spoil all the fun I'm cooking up! And nope, poor Ellie still has no memories of her past aside from those moments trapped in the river.**_

 _ **BettBest2 – As always, too smart for your own good… *EVIL GRIN***_

 _ **RainStorm2122 – My dear Rain, it wouldn't be any fun without some impending doom! Makes it that much more EXCITING! Also, yes if she doesn't remember soon, we may see some serious trouble for our lovable sins. I'm so glad you hate Atlas so much (not sure I'll ever have a chance to say THAT again…). I wonder how I can fuel that hatred even further...**_

 **To everyone else, it makes me so happy that you follow this story so closely. It means so much to me. Keep letting me know what you think; your reviews determine how I make this story play out.**

 **As always, I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Little Favors**

"Elizabeth…."

Elizabeth groaned in her sleep as she became aware of someone calling her name.

"Elizabeth… it's time to get ~up!" The voice was whispering as it coerced her from her dreams, soft yet excited, singing the last word.

She hummed as she opened her eyes, "S-Sir… Meliodas?" she grumbled in her stupor.

The form in front of her visibly pouted at first then grinned as she began to focus, "No, silly!" Diane's voice rang out as she leaned with her elbows on the plush bed and her face pressed to her palms.

"Oh! Diane!" Elizabeth was quick to sit up, a fresh blush adorning her cheeks from having called out the captain of the sin's name. How could she have mistaken Diane for Sir Meliodas?

Diane chuckled lightly, the sound always managing to bring a smile to Elizabeth's face as she listened, "I've come to help you get ready!"

Today the giantess seemed more eager than usual as she bubbled and bounced on the side of the bed, her hidden strength causing the mattress to spring Elizabeth a few feet into the air.

"AH! H-Help me?" Elizabeth came crashing back down to the bed, "But, why? I can get dressed on my own Diane." She smiled at the obvious excitement on the Giantess' face.

"Today's special, though! We have to look our best for going to the castle!"

Elizabeth's face fell into a confused stare. Castle? But… they were nowhere near…

Glancing out the window, Elizabeth gasped at the change in scenery. When she had gone to bed the night before, she had a view of the forest and the little town they had stopped by. Now, there was a sprawling city just beyond large walls, surrounding a grand castle in the distance. "But… when?"

Diane crawled on to the bed on hands and knees to look out at the city as well, "Captain must have moved the tavern in the middle of the night! None of us even noticed till this morning!"

Elizabeth smiled brightly at her, "Where is Sir Meliodas this morning?"

"Huh? Oh, he wasn't here when I woke up. Merlin said he had a meeting with King Arthur early this morning, and that he wanted us to meet up with him later." She had pressed a finger to her chin in thought as she recalled her conversation with the mage.

This piqued the silverette's curiosity, "Oh? So Sir Meliodas knows the King pretty well then? Why did he have to meet with him?"

Diane merely shrugged, seeming less curious than she was. "Don't know. But it was probably boring stuff." With that she bounded off the bed and grabbed Elizabeth's hand, "Come on Elizabeth! I've already run you a bath!"

 _Bath?_

The grin on her face faltered at the mention of a bath, and those dreadful memories flashed behind her eyes. She found herself resisting Diane's tug making the giantess turn to look at her confused, pigtails swinging as she turned. "What's wrong Elizabeth?"

She wasn't quite sure, really. There was a queasiness in her stomach now that she couldn't ignore and it was only building at the thought of returning to those memories.

Diane seemed to register her unease then, as she loosened her grip and bending with arms clasped behind her back to look directly into Elizabeth's down-cast eyes, "Are you afraid?"

Surprised blue eyes flew up to meet Diane's question. Afraid? Was she afraid? Afraid of what though, the bath or what the bath reminded her of? She found herself nodding shyly, and the giantess' face softened before she smiled brightly at her, "I have an idea then. We can take a bath together! The Bathtub is big enough that we could both fit! It'll be great!"

With renewed vigor, Diane pulled Elizabeth off the bed and into the steaming bathroom in a few short skips, slamming the bathroom door shut behind them.

The large clawfoot bath was already filled to the brim with water and sudsy bubbles, looking inviting with the smell of some sort of flower in the air.

"Come on, or it'll get cold!" The sound of Diane's voice was muffled as she pulled her usual orange dress over her head and tossing it aside. With a quick skip and a hop, she plunged herself into the waiting waters and sighed happily, then giggled at the wide-eyed silverette twisting the hem of her nightgown, patting the side of the tub to iterate the need for bathing.

Though she had been hesitant at first, Elizabeth was quick to strip down and hide in the sudsy water as her companion had, the introduction of both of them causing water to spill out of the tub over the wooden floor. Diane had been right though, there was plenty of room for both of them and having her there was certainly helping keep the nasty memories away.

"Elizabeth, turn around and I'll wash your hair for you." Diane motioned with bubbles over her hand, and Elizabeth turned so her back was facing her companion.

Soft kneading fingers began working a thick soap into Elizabeth's hair and up into a lather filling the air with a new scent that lingered with the flowers. The strokes of her fingers sending relaxing waves down the silverette's body. It was so soothing.

"Diane, did you use to do this with a sibling?" Elizabeth peaked at her from over her shoulder and as the question made Diane's fingers falter. The look on her face was somewhat sad.

"Uh… no. I don't have any siblings." She continued massaging the soap through Elizabeth's silver locks, "But, I used to do this with a very dear friend." She finished, the look still sad on her face, but the sound of her voice ringing with a hopefulness that Elizabeth didn't quite understand.

It reminded her of something Sir Meliodas had said to her once.

"Diane?" Elizabeth twisted her fingers under the water as the giantess hummed her response. "Does… Sir Meliodas have feelings for someone?"

The question surprised even her, but ever since the day before… his reaction to Ban saying they had kidnapped a princess… It had been bugging her. Why would he react to it so harshly when he seemed so open about the fact that they were all criminals? It was a contradiction she just couldn't seem to get around.

Diane had fallen silent, so Elizabeth turned again to see that the girl was blushing and watching her like she was trying to choose her next words carefully. Why she was so careful with her words, she didn't know.

"W-Well…" she started, eyes drifting away from hers, "He did. Yeah, he cared for someone really deeply. But… ummm… That's all I can say about it." She finished, pulling her fingers through Elizabeth's hair to untangle it.

Cared? As in… he didn't anymore? Or was it that he couldn't?

"Why do you ask?"

"Oh... it's... nothing."

* * *

Meliodas sneezed abruptly, the sound echoing in the throne room he stood in alone. _Someone's talking about me…_ he thought to himself with a grin, the notion making him chuckle; nothing good could come of that!

The large throne room here in Camelot was a lot like the throne room in Lioness. "If you've seen one you've seen them all, I guess…" he murmured under his breath as he took in the sight of the large windows facing the east allowing for more than enough natural light to filter into the room and colors from some of the stained glass to dance over the royal banners hanging from the ceiling.

"Sir Meliodas, I do apologize for making you wait so long. His Royal Highness will be along shortly." An attendant spoke up from behind him and he waved it off, "I'm in no hurry. Besides, he's a King."

"A terrible King who is as late as I, does not deserve your patience!"

Meliodas turned quickly to see the young King Arthur enter the large throne room from the doors behind the throne with a huge smile. The kid was always smiling. Meliodas liked him for that. He wasn't cocky, just confident. And that confidence was backed by the overwhelming support his people showed for him.

The king was on top of him before Meliodas knew what had hit him, scooping him up into a friendly hug that lifted him off the ground, something Meliodas didn't expect of anyone but the bright orange-haired King.

"H-Hey Arthur, how goes it?"

Arthur put Meliodas back down on his feet as he regarded him with his winning grin, "Splendidly! I'm thrilled to see you back in Camelot Sir Meliodas! Though," Arthur's face changed into that of curiosity, "I am ashamed to admit I have no idea why you would be here."

Meliodas gave Arthur a grin of his own as his fists fell securely on his hips, "We'll get to that in a minute. But first, I have a favor to ask."

"A favor you say?"

Meliodas nodded as he hummed his agreement, "You see, something happened, and Elizabeth was hurt." For a moment, he felt like his confidence might falter, but he was quick to recover, "Because of that, she doesn't remember anything."

Arthur's eyes went wide as he listened, "Princess Elizabeth doesn't remember anything?" he repeated in shock. He had had the pleasure of many long discussions with the third princess of Lioness during their time training to fight the Ten Commandments. She was a woman he saw taking charge of a country one day. A fine ruler in the making. Now she had no recollection of that?

"Yeah, but we don't call her princess anymore. We all just call her Elizabeth." Meliodas confirmed and Arthur's bubbling personality seemed to subdue, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't call her princess either. Or try to remind her of her past. Not yet at least."

Arthur's brows knit together at the odd request, why wouldn't they try everything to bring back the girls' memories? "But… why?"

This time, Meliodas did waver. He felt his usual cool demeanor slip, as her terror at remembering the river returned to him, "We're letting her remember at her own pace. And trying to remind her all at once could make it worse."

Arthur clasped one of Meliodas' hand between his, giving him a teary look, "Then I accept your request! I will make like I am meeting her for the first time!" he declared fervently.

 _Weird kid…_

Meliodas grinned again, "Great!" he patted the young king on the shoulder reassuringly. The last thing he needed was a teary-eyed king clasping him when the others arrived. Which brought him back to why he had come alone early. "Arthur, have you ever heard of a prince from the north named Atlas?"

This seemed to snap Arthur back to reality as curiosity returned to his face, "Direneth's prince regent? Of course I have."

Meliodas' brow rose questioningly, and Arthur answered before he could ask the question, "He is serving as the ruler of Direneth, but is not considered the monarch. It is said that the current monarch, Atlas' father is on a voyage. To where I am unsure." Arthur eyed Meliodas then, "Why are you asking of a ruler outside of Lioness?"

The short blonde shrugged as he put his hands behind his head lazily, "I just thought it would be good to know the guy who's planning a war for all of Britannia." His nonchalant words earned him a choke from the king as he sputtered to process his words. He didn't get long though as the attendant quickly entered the throne room.

"I'm terribly sorry for the interruption, your highness, but, there is a group waiting in the foyer for an audience with you. They say they are with Sir Meliodas. Lady Merlin is among them."

Meliodas chuckled at how Arthur's face and eyes lit up at the mention of Merlin's name. _Man… he's got it bad…_ He thought, feeling a little sorry for the guy. That was a hard one to fall for…

Arthur glanced between Meliodas and the attendant, looking rather conflicted but Meliodas was quick to reassure him once more, "We'll finish talking later. Just remember what I said." Meliodas grinned placing a finger over his lips, Arthur nodding at him fervently before turning to the attendant.

"Please show them in!"

* * *

Elizabeth wrung her hands together as she stood in the large hall that the man who had run off said was a foyer. It was the biggest room she had seen to date – that she knew of at least. Brightly lit from the light pouring in the large floor to high ceiling windows, some of which were open to allow for a warm mid-morning breeze to filter in. The hall – or foyer – could have held four or five Boar Hat taverns. Every few feet directly parallel to the windows was a set of double doors lining the wall, all of which were closed, keeping hidden their contents to passersby.

It was hard not to try and take everything in at once. The walk up to the castle had been something of a dream. The city had been bustling with people living their lives, most of which had been kind enough to greet them on their way.

A hand came to rest gently on Elizabeth's shoulder and she nearly jumped out of her skin, receiving an amused grin from Merlin, who was standing next to her now. She was a vision in her low-cut dress, the outfit she had picked to wear to make their appearance in front of the king. The dress was of the same fabric her usual coat was and seemed to have its magical ability to cling to her cleavage but not hide it. How did she do that?

"If you're not careful that worried look on your face might stick," she mused and Elizabeth's cheeks flushed. She had no idea she was looking around so worried. What was she so anxious about, anyways?

Glancing down, she had a pretty decent idea…

Diane and Merlin had completely taken over her getting ready. Having gotten out of the bath she took with Diane, she was quickly passed over to the mage who put her long silver hair up into the most beautiful braided bun.

"Alright, now, close your eyes and part your lips." Merlin had instructed and Elizabeth followed without question. The next thing she knew; her lips had been painted in a delicate pink that made the blue in her eyes really shine.

Once Merlin was done with her Diane had rushed her back into the bedroom and thrown a dress at her, demanding that she put it on. It wasn't long, reaching to just above her knee. Certainly longer than the skirt she wore while working at the tavern. The dress was beautiful... if not a tad revealing. The bust was a sweetheart neckline, pushing her breasts together and up to accentuate her already decent cleavage. The sleeves hung over her upper arms leaving her neck and shoulders bare. Thankfully she had been able to convince the ladies that her black slippers were the most sensible option and had gotten out of wearing a pair of heels.

She had to admit, though, it was a lovely color. The lush teal felt almost perfectly paired with her silver hair and blue eyes. She felt beautiful in it.

Everyone who had come looked like they had spruced themselves up for the occasion.

Diane was in her signature color, a rich yellow-orange dress that was a tad shorter than Elizabeth's. The color reminded the silverette of fall. Leaves changing, spice, the smell of pine becoming prevalent in the air. It was a lovely color on the giantess.

King wore more casual clothing, sticking to his usual pull-over, while Gowther had managed to wear a button down short sleeved blouse.

Did most rogues go out of their way to make themselves presentable for a meeting with a king? Did rogues even have meetings with kings? Apparently they did, as she was standing among them ready to be graced by the presence of royalty.

"You may join your companion in the throne room." The attendant appeared suddenly, making Elizabeth jump once more, bringing her away from examining the others. Mentally she chastised herself, ever since realizing the sins were considered criminals... she had been wary. She knew so little about everyone and everything going on around her that it made her a nervous wreck. To top it off, the conversation she had had with Diane still replayed in her head. 'He had cared about someone very deeply...'

What exactly was that supposed to mean? More importantly... why did her heart ache at the thought of him being in love with someone?

* * *

Meliodas hummed to himself as he and Arthur waited for the attendant to bring the others into the room. It gave the captain of the sins a moment to himself to think.

Why would a prince regent want to take over all of Britannia?

The man Meliodas fought had been out of his mind. A cruel bastard intent on getting what he wanted no matter the cost. Was that the only reason though? Another human who wanted absolute power?

The man certainly had the tools to try. Meliodas mentally shuttered as he thought about the toll that scythe had taken on him. At least, it seemed it only affected someone within its range, as he had been able to regain his full power over the few days after coming back from the river.

He had been studying the royal banners when he heard Arthur suddenly erupt in a cheery voice, "Everyone! Welcome to Camelot!"

Meliodas brought his gaze over to them and nearly did a double take. Wide eyes fell on Elizabeth who walked in the room like a breath of fresh air. Dear goddesses, it wasn't even fair. Framed perfectly from head to toe. The last time he saw this much cleavage on her was when she was stark naked in his bed. The memory did not help his sudden urge to carry her back to the tavern and keep her all to himself. A grin spread over his lips as he watched her.

She was looking around the large throne room with wonder and genuine fascination when her blue eyes fell on him. Her cheeks flushed as she took him in, and quickly she turned away shyly. As if he needed another reason to scoop her up and run away.

"Lady Elizabeth! It is so good to see you!" Arthur shouted excitedly, grasping her hands in his; a little too familiarly for Meliodas' liking. Apparently 'pretend like you are just meeting' meant scream her name like she's an old flame, here in Camelot. The blonde sighed shaking his head as Elizabeth gave the young King confused looks.

"H-Have we met before?" She asked, and Arthur's face fell. Thankfully, before he could say anything else, Merlin was kind enough to step in.

"Arthur is always like this. Don't mind him." She grabbed a decent amount of his cheek in a pinch and pulled him away. But he managed to pry her fingers away from his irritated skin to bow gracefully as a King might, "Pardon my familiarity, my lady, I've just heard so many wonderful things about you that I feel like we've met! I am Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot." He stood up straight with a kind smile, his confidence shining through.

Elizabeth managed a curtsey in the dress dipping low - giving anyone paying attention - a decent view of her maiden hills as Meliodas was affectionately calling them in this dress. Someone was seriously testing his self-control today, a test that he wouldn't have minded failing if it meant he could rid Elizabeth of clothing in general.

Meliodas came to stand next to the buxom silverette, nodding his appreciation of the form fitting waist and necklines of the dress as he grabbed a handful of her rear, earning him a surprised yelp from an already flustered looking princess. She seemed to be doing her best not to look at him, which was strange. He wondered briefly what was making her so shy all of a sudden – aside from his hands on her backside.

"I assume that the business needed discussing has been dealt with, captain?" Merlin gave Meliodas a questioning gaze that would have put off any other man, but didn't faze the captain one bit in his pursuit of grabbing as much of Elizabeth's butt into one hand as he possibly could, "Mmmhmm." He confirmed with a content grin.

"There will be no more talk of business for now! You are my honored guests! As such, I would like to invite you all to a gala! A celebration in your honor!" Arthur announced, voice exuberant as he waved his arms high into the air as if expressing the magnitude of his enthusiasm.

"A gala? Like, an actual ball?" Diane giggled with excitement grabbing Kings arm and jumping up and down, "We're going to a ball King!"

Gowther mumbled something about it being a perfect opportunity to study human interactions under his breath as Merlin shook her head at this sudden news. Which made Meliodas wonder when Arthur had had the time to plan something like a Gala in the short time since Merlin had sent him word of their arrival.

Meliodas looked up at Elizabeth's expression which had gone from flush with embarrassment to wonder again, making his grin reappear.

Guess you can't take the princess out of the girl after all… he mused to himself. "What do you say, Elizabeth?" His hands came up to cross behind his head as her attention was brought to him and she finally looked him in the eyes - forgetting what had made her avoid him up to this point, "Wanna go to a party?"

Her face lit up like a summer firefly as she smiled happily, "Yes! That would be wonderful!"


	10. Chapter 8: Fortunes

**Hello!**

 **Happy Saturday everyone! I have to say I am SUPPPPER excited right now. We're about to get to the fun stuff. Things I've been planning and developing since before I finished the first story. AHHHH! I can't wait. Thank you so much for all the awesome reviews and follows! It makes me so proud that I have made something you all enjoy so much - even if it looks like I have it out for some of the characters. Keep sending those reviews, it lets me know that I'm writing something you'll continue to enjoy!**

 **Fair warning, I may have to change the rating on this story soon due to content being WAY too M for my to get away with a disclaimer before the chapter. We'll see. I'll make sure to let you all know in advance before I do anything like that.**

 **ON TO THE FUN!**

 **I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Fortunes**

How had this happened?

No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't figure out why she would have given in…

Elizabeth walked in stride with the captain of the sins down the streets of the city surrounding Camelot's castle. Mirth played over Sir Meliodas' face as he walked with her side-by-side, hands casually in his pockets. Probably enjoying his victory.

The blush hadn't left her face since they had left the tavern that afternoon, and now she was pondering how she could have ended up alone with the person who made her stomach flutter.

"Y-You want to… take me shopping?" Elizabeth had stuttered out as she gawked at the blonde smiling brightly at her. Surely she had heard wrong?

"Of course! You don't have a formal dress for a Gala, right? The party's in two days." Meliodas leaned back against the table he was seated at, having returned to the Tavern to get it ready to open for the night, it was still early in the day and the sun still wasn't high in the sky yet. "Besides, I need some stuff from the city anyways. Might as well go while the goings good, right?"

"I wouldn't trust this guy's motives, Elizabeth." Hawk snorted, butting into the conversation with a dubious look in the bar owner's direction.

"You know," Meliodas looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully, "I hear pork sells pretty well here in Camelot." Hawk squealed, making his retreat from the man, behind Elizabeth's legs.

Elizabeth giggled, but she looked uncertain, her fingers coming to rest on her lips as she thought with a furrowed brow, "But… I couldn't possibly ask you to do that," she mumbled feeling her cheeks burn. It was far too much to ask. And it wasn't the first time he had offered and paid for clothing for her. All of the clothes she had at the tavern hadn't been just laying around, it had to come from somewhere. "You've already done so much, and I can't put you out any more than I already have!"

She was sleeping in the man's bed for goddess's sake! How put out was he going to allow her to make him before the end of all of this?

"Well, if it would make you feel better, I could always come up with a way for you to pay me back." His eyes narrowed on her as his smile dipped into a dark grin. Elizabeth's mouth fell open to answer but the words would not form.

"What I tell ya Elizabeth?!" Hawk shouted, but Elizabeth was still stumbling over herself getting caught up in the look he was giving her. It did weird things to her. Those dark eyes promising of something that made her insides twist. "I-I… um…"

 _'He cared very deeply for someone…'_

Those words rang in her head and immediately sobered her, sending a flush over her cheeks and her eyes to quickly dart away from Meliodas'. Why did that matter? Elizabeth's thumb traced the back of the pearl ring on her ring finger, reminding her that she was most likely engaged. Whether the captain of the sins had feelings for someone was of no consequence to her.

Right?

Wait! What was she saying? Elizabeth's hands came up and slapped her cheeks lightly, receiving curious looks from both Hawk and Meliodas, this man was the leader of a group of rogue criminals! Of course it was of no consequence to her!

"Umm… Elizabeth?"

She 'eeped' twisting back to look at him with her hands still clasping her cheeks and he was giving her an easy grin, the look amused at her fretting. "Only kidding."

Hawk muttered a 'sure' under his breath and he shook his head and retreated to his left-overs bowl.

Meliodas crossed his arms in front of him as he shrugged, "If you don't want to go, I could just pick you up one on the way?"

The blush over her cheeks deepened at the prospect. It was almost a veiled threat… what would he bring back for her to wear if she didn't go with him? "No! T-That's okay. I'll go with you." She stammered, relenting to him.

That's how she came to be wandering the streets of Camelot with Sir Meliodas.

He looked up at her with a raised brow and she managed a small grin. Resolving to make the most of the trip. It was a lovely day after all, and it wasn't like she minded the man's company. If she was completely honest with herself… she enjoyed it. More than she would openly admit. He was the first person she had met upon waking up in the tavern and he had been so kind to her. Could she really fault him for his past when she didn't even have a handle on her own?

He walked her over to a cart selling clothing and pointed at a few risqué numbers, "How about these?"

Elizabeth grimaced at how much skin would be showing in different places. It was like someone had purposefully cut holes into the fabric. "I-I don't… think so…" she mumbled and he smiled.

"Well, take a look around and see if anything catches your eye. I'll be right back," he pointed to a nearby spice and vegetable stall as he spoke and when she nodded he walked over casually, leaving her with the revealing dresses. She tugged on the hem of one that would, at least, cover her chest and sighed at how distastefully short it was. Her uniform skirt was longer than this dress!

"Young maiden!"

Elizabeth looked up from her fingering through different patterned cloth when she heard someone call out. She turned towards where Meliodas had sauntered and saw him staring at a bunch of vined tomatoes like they had wronged him. The sight made her giggle… how could a man who couldn't cook look so determinedly at ingredients?

"Miss!"

There was another call, and Elizabeth swung to search to her left, finding no one, she turned around to see an older woman waving her over to a small wooden table on the other side of the street. Elizabeth glanced to either side of herself before pointing to her chest, "Yes, you miss!" she called out in a hoarse voice, using her entire body to wave Elizabeth over, the act looking like it might break the woman in half with how frail she appeared.

Carefully, Elizabeth approached the table, taking little glances back to see Meliodas still gathering supplies for the tavern, "Yes?" she asked timidly.

The woman in front of her was more wrinkles than skin, showing her age. Her eyes looked up at Elizabeth as if she could see right through to her soul even though her pupils were nearly clouded over. The old woman peered around and sunk low, towards Elizabeth, motioning for her to do the same, like someone would over-hear them in the busy street. With one last glance back at Meliodas, Elizabeth followed suit and bent low.

"I have a warning for you, miss…" she croaked, and nodded, pressing her wrinkled lips together.

"A warning? From who?"

"From me, dear, from me!" she crooned in her raspy voice, glancing secretly back and forth again and dropping her tone, "I must warn you, you are in grave danger!"

"Grave-" Elizabeth started in a normal tone and was quickly shushed by the old woman with a wave of her hands to keep her voice down and Elizabeth covered her mouth before leaning in, "Grave danger?" she repeated in a hushed whisper.

The old woman nodded much like an old parrot would, with her whole body in the motion. "You must beware of demons, my dear. They eat pretty little souls like yours." She pointed a shaky finger at Elizabeth, who's eyes widened suddenly, her face draining of color.

Demons? What on earth was this woman talking about? Did something as scary as a demon actually exist? "How-" Elizabeth started but the old woman waved her shaky hands to cut off the girls' words.

"No, no! Pay heed to my warning. I know nothing more on the matter." She rasped, her fogged over eyes narrowing at Elizabeth, "You already have your answers. You must piece them together."

There was a rush of heat over Elizabeth's face, she already had her answers? What did that mean?

"Hmmm…"

Elizabeth gasped as her head snapped to her left to be confronted by a mass of messy blonde hair and studious emerald eyes staring inquisitively at the hooded woman in front of them, "S-Sir Meliodas? How long have you been standing here?"

Meliodas hummed as his head tilted slightly to get a better look at the woman partially hidden under the hood, "Just got here," he stated easily, "I heard you say something about a warning, so I thought I might listen in,"

The old woman chuckled heartily, turning her hazed eyes to Meliodas, "Curious as ever I see."

Elizabeth looked between the two and watched as Meliodas' eyes widened at the woman's words, "Do we know you?" he asked leaning in to really study her face. At that, the woman lifted shaky brittle hands to remove her hood revealing her wrinkled haggard features. Her snow-white hair was heavily matted like thick ropes and stained with dirt. While the age spotted skin on her face wrinkled and sagged, elsewhere it sank and stretched over her shoulder and collar bones making her look sickly thin, though the heavy brown hooded robe would never have given it away.

She leaned in closer to Meliodas much like he had, examining him without looking any further than his eyes, "No, lad. I think I'd recognize a soul like yours," she grinned.

He watched her a moment more before smiling back and relaxing his posture, "Do you do fortunes a lot around here then?"

The old woman chuckled coyly, as if she were a child caught stealing another cookie, "Yes," her head bobbed again making her entire body shift, "Would you like your fortune?"

Meliodas put his hands easily behind his head, "Nah, I like being surprised." Turning to her, Meliodas grinned suggestively at Elizabeth's curious gaze and her position leaning over the wooden surface of the stall. He reached over and squeezed her butt. "What about you Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth had jumped the moment his hand caressed her backside, effectively escaping his grasping hand before she registered his question, "My fortune? I-I guess I wouldn't mind hearing it…" she mumbled, through her embarrassment. People had stopped to gawk at her reaction to Meliodas' advances, making her more than a little self-conscious.

The old fortune teller gave out a shrill laugh before putting out her hand, flat like she was asking for something. Elizabeth instinctually reached for one of the silver coins Meliodas had given her before leaving the tavern but the woman shook her head, "No, no, dear. Your hand! Your hand!"

Blushing at her misunderstanding, Elizabeth placed her hand in the palm of the old woman's, feeling the soft paper like skin before the woman turned her palm over. She leaned over and examined her hand intensely, "You will find what you seek soon." She started, with the same bob of her head and body and Elizabeth's face lit up as she looked at Meliodas excitedly. Did this mean she was going to figure out who she was soon? Meliodas grinned back at her, seemingly happy that she was so pleased.

"BUT!" The woman's abrupt shout and change in tone brought Elizabeth back to looking at her, "You must be warry of forest paths and blackberries!"

There was silence between the three of them as Elizabeth looked on with complete confusion and Meliodas' brow shot up questioningly, "Blackberries?" he asked skeptically and the old woman sat up straight with a frighteningly serious look of dread on her face, "Blackberries!" she shouted again with wide eyes, making some people stop behind them with dubious glances.

Elizabeth was completely dumbstruck. First the woman warns her of demons looking to eat her soul, and now she was warning her of… Blackberries? Was she just senile?

Meliodas hummed at her side, suddenly looking very contemplative, "Well, I guess that means no Blackberries for you Elizabeth!" He smiled at her while the old woman bobbed her agreement, "Thanks for the fortune," he placed a silver coin on the table while Elizabeth took her hand back, watching as the woman looked down at the coin with a soft grin. Elizabeth was quick to thank the woman too.

"Ready?" He asked, and the smile he gave her made her cheeks flare bright red and stomach flutter before she nodded and took one of the baskets he had set on the ground next to them while he took hold of the others. All three baskets were filled with vegetables and food stuffs, hers a little less so than his.

"Well that was pretty rare." They had walked only a few yards away when Meliodas spoke up casually. Elizabeth glanced at him curiously as the last few minutes replayed in her head.

"What's rare? A fortune teller?" she asked, hoisting her basket higher on her arm and falling in step with the captain of the sins once more.

Those all-knowing green orbs smiled up at her, "Oh, she was no fortune teller. She was a genuine seer."

"A… seer?" she ignored the patters her heart made when he looked up at her like that, choosing instead to focus on his words.

"Yup. They're like oracles. They can see all possible futures for people," he nodded like it was the most obvious answer.

Elizabeth gawked at him, shocked by this new information. "What?! T-That's amazing! Why have I never heard of them before? Why aren't more out and around like this?"

Meliodas stopped, causing Elizabeth to pause as well, "Hmmm? Because it's taboo. The seers believe that they shouldn't interfere with fate. But…" he looked up thoughtfully, like the sky had the answer written there, "I had heard a rumor once that when a seer divines their own death, they lose it. Sometimes leaving their clan to try to prevent a major calamity." He shrugged.

Elizabeth's hand came up fast to cover her mouth in shock. "D-Do you think I'm involved somehow with a major disaster?!"

Meliodas' face turned skeptical at her fears, "Well, she is set up as a vendor in the middle of Camelot. There's no telling how many people she's talked to. I don't think you have to worry." He grinned easily, "We just have to make sure you don't eat any blackberries!" he chuckled, turning to continue on.

He was mocking her... she knew it. She pouted at his retreating form before catching up with him.

"By the way, what had she warned you about before I came over?"

Elizabeth's eyes widened. ' _Beware of demons, my dear. They eat pretty little souls like yours…'_ the woman's voice echoed in her head, "W-Well…" she grinned nervously, looking away from Meliodas' questioning gaze, "S-she told me to beware of beasts."

"Huh… good advice to live by, I suppose." He shrugged and left it at that.

Elizabeth, on the other hand wasn't sure why she felt the need to lie. The woman had obviously been senile. Seer or not. Elizabeth didn't want him thinking she was ridiculous for having been so frightened at the warning. Besides… there was no such thing as demons, right? She shook her head, deciding those were thoughts better left for another time.

Meliodas led her to more stalls selling clothing and when each one lacked what they were looking for, they continued. It was amazing to Elizabeth how huge the city surrounding the castle was and each new street they followed offered new stalls, smells, and products. Sometimes Meliodas would stop and show her trinkets or point out pieces and tell her all about what they were made of and how they worked. And the longer they spent walking, the more Elizabeth smiled. This was truly a place she felt like she could have belonged. Among the people, in a bustling city, with Sir Meliodas.

The last thought to cross her mind stopped her dead in her tracks as she felt the flush sweep over her entire body. What was she thinking?!

Her sudden stop must have caught his attention, because he turned to her with that mischievous grin, "You're not getting tired already, are you? I could always carry you, if you want." He offered, and Elizabeth shook her head violently back and forth, trudging forward at a faster pace than before, avoiding his eyes.

"If you insist. There's a tailor around here somewhere. We can check to see if they have any dresses." He spoke without turning to look at her as he regained his position leading ahead of her, the raging blush over her cheeks never faltered as she nodded her understanding.

 _'How could I even think that about Sir Meliodas?! H-He's already… And I…'_ Elizabeth screamed in her own head. Making faces, causing others to look at her strangely. Thankfully Meliodas stayed pretty focused on trying to find the trailer's shop to have notice.

She sighed, choosing to examine him from behind. Taking in the shine of his golden hair in the afternoon sun and easy gait despite carrying two heavy looking baskets. She knew very little about this man, and he avoided the subject so often that she had nearly given up asking him. But, sometimes she could almost forget the need to know. When he looked at her… sometimes it was all she needed. Her features softened on him.

 _'What is Sir Meliodas to me…?'_ She asked herself, feeling the blush creep over her cheeks again.

Elizabeth went to take another step when a sharp pain erupted from the middle of her back and she let out a soft pained gasp. She reached over her shoulder with her free hand, feeling nothing there but the fabric of her pink work blouse with her finger tips. What on earth had that been?

"Such a lovely voice…"

The voice had been right behind her, like someone had leaned in to whisper right into her ear. She could feel the warmth of a breath caress her lobe, they had been so close. The sensation sent a shiver down her spine and her heart seemed to stop.

Elizabeth's mind went blank as she froze in place and stared unseeing ahead of her. Her heart thundering in her ears after it had ceased for a moment. What was this feeling? This heavy pit in her stomach? This cold sweat forming over her body? She wanted to turn, but her body refused to obey her.

Meliodas paused ahead when he noticed that she was no longer at his side. Turning, he saw her standing there in the middle of the bustling road, face blank. "Elizabeth? Is something wrong?" he back tracked to stand in front of her curiously before his eyes drifted down, "You're trembling…" he mumbled, his brows knit together as he locked eyes with her again.

She blinked a few times, focusing on those concerned emeralds. How long had she been breathing this heavy? She lifted her hands to look at them confirming that she was shaking violently despite how warm it was for an afternoon. Clenching her fists to stop the trembling and pressing them to her chest, she slowly got up the courage to turn her head to glance behind her. There was no one there. Just the empty road.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Meliodas lean sideways to peer behind her as well. She turned back, locking her gaze to the ground, heart pounding, unsure of herself and stammering, "I-I don't," she looked up to look Meliodas in the eyes when hers widened considerably.

His gaze was surprised as she reached out to draw her fingers softly across his cheek, then watched as she brought them away dripping red.

"You're bleeding…" she whispered concerned and watched as Meliodas lifted the back of his hand to wipe the blood that was now streaming down to his chin. His furrowed brow told her he had no idea how he had gotten cut.

"Don't move, I'll find something to clean it!" she rushed, looking up and around the stalls for…

Where had everyone gone?

There had been so many people on the road with them before… where were they now? Looking at the nearest stall, Elizabeth gasped at the unsightly state of the vegetables.

Her gasp brought Meliodas' attention from his blood covered hand to follow Elizabeth's gaze around the street. All of the food was molded and turning to mush. Flower stands and planters hanging around stores were adorned with brown dead bouquets. Even the wood of the road stalls seemed to be decaying. Even the food stuffs in the baskets Meliodas carried were turning to a sickly mush.

There was a glint of something in his eyes and suddenly, Meliodas discarded his baskets letting them fall to the ground, the contents spattering in indiscernible rotten heaps. His hand wrapped around Elizabeth's free wrist, pulling her quickly down the road they had just come from.

She was still clutching tightly to the basket he had given her as they ran, "Sir Meliodas! What's going on?" she shouted over the heavy breaths she took from running so fast.

He didn't respond, instead swinging around a corner with her before there was a loud crash, splintering the wooden stalls they had just passed. They didn't stop, just continued barreling down the road like their lives depended on it. No one lined this street either…

There was another loud crash, and Elizabeth screamed as debris and wood splinters rained around them. There was a quick tug on her wrist and a moment of weightlessness in the time it took her to blink. The next thing she knew, she was in Meliodas' arms and he grinned at her, "Hold on tight!" he suggested and seemed to pick up speed. She wrapped the one hand around his neck, noting for the first time the death grip she held on the handle of the basket that was now perched on her abdomen.

She looked behind them just before something came crashing into more of the stalls. Dread filled her face and she screamed as she glimpsed the black form choosing to crash through the stalls and buildings instead of righting itself to chase them straight down the road barreling after them as fast as Meliodas was running away. Elizabeth buried her face into the side of Meliodas' neck, pressing herself as close as she could. What on earth was that thing?! Why was it chasing them?!

She felt Meliodas' body shift and slide as he changed direction. Then down another long path, all the while the sounds of destruction erupting behind them. Turning one more corner, she felt his body jerk as he skidded to a stop. Peeking away from his neck, Elizabeth was greeted with a welcome sight. People. Milling about, shopping, enjoying their afternoons. Shops and stalls intact. No one seemed to notice them standing in the middle of a road leading towards utter destruction. Looking up, she noticed the confusion on Meliodas' face as well as he breathed heavily. He didn't stand there long, instead choosing to continue down this busy road, avoiding shoppers who would stare as they passed or move out of his way. They made it a ways further before Meliodas stopped at a small alley way between buildings, and let Elizabeth down to her feet.

"We…. Should be safe…" he huffed, watching people pass the little alley. He was breathing so heavily from running. Sweat had broken out over his brow. It was the first time she had ever seen him out of breath.

Elizabeth put the basket still in her grasp down while she watched him concerned.

Blood was still streaming down his cheek to drip to the ground and down his white button down from his chin and he brought a sleeve up to wipe it away while he struggled to take in air.

"Sir Meliodas?"

Meliodas turned a cocky grin on her, despite how labored his breathing was, eyes a darker shade than they had been earlier, "It's okay… we'll… be fine…" his eyes drooped suddenly as his body seemed to give out beneath him.

Elizabeth had been close enough to react, catching him under the arms from behind with a gasp, but slumping to the ground with him practically laying in her lap, "Sir Meliodas!" she called out but he didn't stir. His breath was ragged as she held him for a moment, looking around for some help.

Something wet and cold running down her chest caught her attention before she could call out. Pressing softly to push him forward she noticed it for the first time. The blood seeping through his white shirt and black vest running the length from his left shoulder to his right hip. Before she had time to process, there was a small puddle of dark red forming beneath them.

He was bleeding out in front of her eyes…


	11. Chapter 9: Famine

**WARNING! This chapter contains content that is rated M for Mature due to adult themes. Please read on at own risk!**

 **WARNING! This chapter includes HUGE spoilers for the manga, so please if you do not wish to ruin the surprise, please stop reading.**

 **Hey, everyone!**

 **So, last time when I said 'fun'… yeah. I meant fun for me, devastating to… the majority of you, it seems. Lol… I'm really glad you all seem to enjoy my torture, though. It means a lot that you would continue with me! I would do my thing and respond to reviews next, but the majority of you had the same responses, and I can't respond without giving anything away! So you'll just have to read to find out what happened!**

 **I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!**

* * *

Chapter 9: Famine

Ban was so close he could almost taste it. He was at the end of the trek he had made so many countless times, that he could probably make the trip in his sleep and still manage it without any problems. Just past this thick fog was the Fair Kings forest that he had replanted himself with the seed Elaine had given him and the blood he spilled to create a new fountain of youth. He would be there soon…

Once he had managed to slip through he could see it, the outline of trees and brush becoming clearer and clearer, he would see the lush greens in just a moment. As the last of the fog cleared on this side, Ban stopped in his tracks. The perimeter of the forest was dead and withered, while further in, he could see the bright colors of the plants and wildlife leading all the way to the towering Holy Tree in the middle of the forest. "What the hell happened?"

He heard some fussing ahead, shrill high pitched voices and he was quick to run to see what the hell was going on.

"Lady Elaine, nothing we do is helping! Even the soil beneath the foliage is dead!"

Ban slowed to a stop as the small group of fairies came into view. At the center of which floated the woman of his dreams and deepest desires. He grinned from ear to ear as the dead vegetation was no longer of interest to him and he slowly snuck up on the blonde, easily sneaking past the fairies spread out in front of him.

All of the fairies - including Elaine - were fretting over the land when Ban wrapped heavy arms around her, effectively pinning her arms to her sides. Before she could let out a scream to alert the other fairies, he leaned in close to her ear, "Gotcha~" he sang, his breath lingering on her lobe and neck, and with bright red cheeks she turned her head to gape happily at him.

"Ban! You've returned!" she cried out, alerting all around them to the new presence in their midst before Ban managed to turn her in his arms, and seize her lips. He hadn't been soft about it. He wanted her in a way even he couldn't put words to – and he was the sin of greed. Everything that could have been used to describe it wasn't fierce enough.

She didn't fight his advances, instead melting into his tight embrace and allowing him to guide her. His tongue darted across her lips, tasting how sweet they were. Felt her soft breath as she breathed through their kiss, her body pressed securely against his.

 _So this is what heaven feels like…_

It was a long time before he parted from her, pulling back to see her eyes flutter open dreamily, her face flushed from ear to ear, lips puckered slightly – begging to be claimed again, and yet it wasn't long enough. His eyes narrowed hungrily on her before giving her a grin that showed off his canines when her breath hitched at his stare. Elaine bit down softly on her bottom lip as her amber eyes spoke of a need all her own. 'That's my girl…' he thought with pride and lust growing, his body more than ready and willing to comply.

"Ahem…"

"huh?" Ban glanced around lazily and was reminded of the little audience they now had – not that it mattered much to him. Elaine, on the other hand, began to fidget and burn under their watching of such an intimate moment between them. But, neither her or Ban made a move to exit their current position.

"Sir Ban, it is great to see you again!" one of the fairies managed to shake off her embarrassment and bounded up to the couple before more of them joined.

 _'Greeaat. Now I feel like a regular circus act.'_ Ban groaned in his own head as the fairies surrounding them began firing off questions about his travels and his purposes for coming back.

"Look, guys, there's only one thing I came back for, and I'm holding it. So, if you'll excuse us…" before any of the fairies had a chance to say a word, Ban was bounding for the towering Holy Tree in the middle of the newly formed Fairy King's Forest. This is where he had spent years bringing himself to look on Elaine's corpse swearing to bring her back before she had been resurrected. This is where the new fountain of youth – made up of his own blood – called its home. This was where he was going to spend the next twenty-four hours making up for the time he had spent away since last he saw her.

Ban had released her body and held her easily on his shoulder as he ran at blinding speed, avoiding brush and trees. She giggled, clutching at his red leather jacket, the act sending shivers down the fox's spine. Just a simple touch was enough to light his blood on fire.

And he was going to burn before the night was through…

* * *

King sat across a table with Diane, having a small discussion about what Galas are like in different kingdoms, and comparing the festivals they had experienced in Lioness to the ball they had just been invited to. Gowther had made his place on the bar stool he could normally be found in, books lining the bar counter in front of him with various titles, all of which teaching of manners and formal conduct; something Merlin thought wise of him to learn. Merlin was watching Hawk pace in front of the tavern door, his little hooves making clopping noises as he went back and forth.

"I'm not sure pacing is going to make them return any faster," she mused and grinned as his ears laid impossibly flat against his piggy head. He was whining under his breath in worry.

"They should have been back by now! Meliodas knows the bar's opening soon. We can't open without them!" he huffed, resuming his pacing.

"Is that what you're really worried about? Opening the tavern?" King asked skeptically, leaning on his elbow propped on the table, and Diane chuckled.

"OF COURSE NOT! Poor Elizabeth is probably going to be traumatized after spending so much time alone with that perv!" He had shouted then started to grumble after his outburst made everyone – save Gowther - look at him strangely, and some of them began to laugh. It was true though. They knew their captain well enough to know ANY alone time he had with Elizabeth usually ended with him molesting her in some way.

Gowther looked up from his book, with a raised brow, turning his head to stare at the door, "I do believe they have returned…"

Everyone went from looking at Gowther to rushing to the door as Hawk practically kicked it open so that he could give Meliodas a piece of his mind.

Instead, everyone froze in their tracks as Elizabeth looked up at them from where she half stumbled a few yards away, Meliodas pulled over her back, her grasp on his arm over her shoulder was the only thing keeping him there. Blood trickled behind her to the ground from her unconscious passenger. "Please! Please help!" she rasped, tears streaming down her face as she pleaded with the stunned silent sins.

"M-Meliodas!" Hawk squealed regaining himself and running to Elizabeth's rescue before she could collapse. Merlin, King, and Diane ran out after him, helping Elizabeth lay the captain across Hawk's back before he trotted him the rest of the way to the tavern with Merlin in tow.

Elizabeth had moved to follow, but Diane held her firmly in place by the shoulders, peering over her, "Leave him to Merlin, Elizabeth. Let me check you for injuries!"

Silver hair swished back and forth as she tried to wriggle out of Diane's grasp and see past her to the bar, "I'm fine! I need to check on Sir Meliodas!" she shouted, her words dripping with worry.

"Elizabeth! Please!" Diane's worried cry brought her to stare with heavy breath at the shrunken giantess, "He's in good hands, but you're covered in blood!" she pleaded.

Elizabeth's eyes cast down to her state of being. It had taken a lot of maneuvering to get Meliodas in a position to pull him over her shoulder. She had somehow lifted herself and him and gently pressed him against one of the alley walls so that she could turn and get him pulled on. The act had left her clothes smeared with dark red stains.

Now that the adrenaline was subsiding, Elizabeth felt her body shake and her legs gave out beneath her as she began to sob into her hands. "Elizabeth!" King and Diane shouted in unison, one of them crouching to put reassuring hands on her cold trembling shoulders.

She had been so scared. Something had been chasing them and suddenly Sir Meliodas was laying in her lap, bleeding out over the ground. She couldn't make any sense of it. Her mind couldn't comprehend the last hour of her life. It was like she was standing in the middle of a nightmare.

"She's not hurt anywhere it seems. It must all be from the captain…" she heard King whisper to Diane, and the hands gripping her tightened and softened again.

"What happened, Elizabeth?"

She peered up through her tear-blurred vision to see Diane kneeling before her, her amethyst eyes searching her softly.

Elizabeth erupted into sobs again as she dove forward, wrapping her arms around the shrunken giant's waist and burying her face into her lap. She cried for so long she wasn't entirely sure when the tears stopped flowing and all that was left were dry wails. Diane didn't move, though. She stayed with her like that smoothing her hand gently across Elizabeth's back until she managed to start retelling of the hour leading up to then. It wasn't until she had finished retelling the events that she stopped crying and looked up at the concerned faces of King and Diane.

They peered at each other, then hid their concern beneath small grins and reassuring smiles. She was just about to ask them what was wrong when Diane helped pull her to her feet. "Elizabeth, Merlin should be just about done fixing up the captain, why don't you go see how he's doing?"

* * *

Merlin dropped her hand after finishing conducting her assessment after quickly packing his wounds and watched the captain's face scrunch in pain through his labored breath. The bandage on his cheek was nearly soaked through with blood. Somehow the man was still bleeding, and she couldn't figure out how to stop it.

The worst part was knowing that these were not fresh wounds. They were the ones that just the other day she had confirmed were but scars – distant memories. These two cuts were the ones Atlas had inflicted on the captain in the North. And now, they were wide open like it had happened just yesterday. The prospect was unnerving; a wound caused by that scythe… could never truly close. Not as long as that weapon existed.

 _Which reminded her…_

Merlin glanced towards the door and found the silver-haired princess standing quietly, her hands clutched tightly together in front of her, eyes cast sadly to the ground. The girl looked like she was the only survivor of a mass slaughter with how much blood stained her clothes and skin. The mage had to give her some credit, though, she would have never imagined Elizabeth, Princess of Lioness, carrying the captain of the Seven Deadly Sins on her back. The girl was stronger than she gave her credit for. The captain was short, but that didn't mean he was light.

"Elizabeth?" she called softly, and blue eyes shot up to look at her, "Come, tell me. Everything. Don't leave a single detail out." Merlin patted the end of the bed while she took the chair sitting next to it. Hesitantly, the girl came and sat softly on the mattress, watching to make sure the action did not wake the sleeping sin, then turned her eyes back to the fingers on her lap.

"We were walking and there was a pain in my back. I must have said something because I heard a voice. It…" she paused and Merlin watched as fear grew over her features, "It was a man. He said that I had a lovely voice." Elizabeth's hands tightened into a fist. Obviously, this voice had troubled her greatly.

"Go on…" Merlin pressed lightly and Elizabeth nodded.

"Sir Meliodas asked me what was wrong… why I was shaking. I didn't know. I turned around to see who had been behind me, and no one was there," she shook her head, "When I turned back around, Sir Meliodas had a cut on his cheek. That's when I noticed that all the people were gone. They were just… gone!" Elizabeth was becoming upset, as her voice rose a bit higher in tone. Probably fighting back tears.

"You said that everything was dead? What did you mean by that?" Merlin tried to push.

"It was so strange… all of the food and the plants – even the wooden stalls! Everything was rotting. Everything had been fine before!" she gasped suddenly, remembering that she needed to keep her voice down, sparing a quick glance at the still unconscious captain. She sighed heavily seeing no change. Was she disappointed that he hadn't stirred?

Merlin had been amused watching the princess fret to and fro – despite the severity of the situation, she had to keep her wits about her and the only thing Merlin knew to do that was taking pleasure out of life's little gags. The princesses story did have her on edge, though. This was a new development. They hadn't encountered someone with those kinds of abilities before – making organic materials like that wither and rot. Worst yet, she had been tasked with keeping an eye out for the prince's energy, and she hadn't felt it…

Elizabeth had grown quiet in front of her, her thoughtful look plagued by fear and sadness. It made Merlin chuckle internally. Elizabeth was still Elizabeth no matter how many memories she lost along the way.

Merlin stood, setting the chair closer to the head of the bed, "Would you mind sitting with him for a while? I'm afraid he has a terrible fever, and I need to make a remedy."

Elizabeth nodded softly, taking her place in the chair as Merlin left the room, closing the door softly behind her.

Upon reaching the tavern floor, Merlin was greeted by the concerned faces of Diane and King and the more curious than anything look from Gowther.

"How is he?" Hawk, Diane, and King had gone to say at the same time, looking at each other surprised after doing so.

Merlin sighed, crossing her arms over her chest and bringing one hand up to touch her chin in thought, "Well, the captain is alive. I'm not sure if demons can die from bleeding out, but if he keeps this up he won't have any blood left in his veins."

"The bleeding won't stop?" Gowther asked, a hint of fascination in his voice, making Merlin shake her head, "He is not yours to experiment on, Gowther." She warned in and unusually uneven tone.

She couldn't deny that she was worried. Not so much for his life, as she knew him to always pull through… but for his power. While doing her assessment, Merlin had noticed his powers fluctuating. They were the slightest bit unstable. For someone with the reserves the captain had, instability could mean disaster. Him more so than most. He had experienced that first hand in Danafor.

"Do you think it was them? Have they figured out we're on to them?" King was laying across Chastiefol staring blankly up at the ceiling.

Merlin thought on it a moment, but she couldn't deny her own observations, "Yes. I believe this was an offensive move by the prince of Direneth." She confirmed and the air in the tavern felt heavy as they all began to recall their individual encounters at the castle in the north.

* * *

Elizabeth hadn't moved from the chair Merlin had relinquished to her, not once. Even as the room got darker and darker, she couldn't bring herself to turn on a light. Instead, her eyes had adjusted to the darkness as it washed over the room with the passing of time.

But for the first time, Elizabeth looked up from her lap to stare at the blonde haired sin, his face pained and covered in sweat from a fever that refused to break. She shifted to stand, taking the damp cloth from his head and dipping it in the cold water bowl, before returning it to his head. Her lingering fingertips feeling just how feverish he really was.

Elizabeth's lip began to tremble as she watched his face. Why had he gotten so hurt? How could he not even realize he was injured? How could he completely disregard himself to… she stopped her ranting thoughts as she thought about him protecting her. He had done it all… to keep her safe.

Tears began to spill down her cheeks.

Why would he do something like that for her? She was a stranger! A woman who was impeding on his travels! She was of no consequence, and yet he would ignore his own suffering just to protect her? It made no sense.

Meliodas gasped then clenched his jaw in his sleep, catching Elizabeth's attention. He looked like he was in so much pain, and she felt so useless.

Before she knew what she was doing, Elizabeth had climbed onto the bed next to him softly. Pulling herself close to his body and wrapping her left arm around and above his head while the other held him gently across his chest. Her tears were in waves as her left hand brushed some of his golden locks aside and she pressed her forehead to the cold compress she had placed on his. She sobbed then, feeling the deep need to let go and feel her entire body shake with her fear and sadness. It hurt seeing him like this… more than words could say. And she didn't understand why.

"Please…" she whispered through her sobs, as her tears slipped down her cheeks to drip on his burning skin, "Please be okay…"

* * *

Merlin had managed to make a small remedy for the captain's fever after her long discussion with the others, though, it was likely this was going to do very little to help. His fever was not caused by illness, rather the unbalance in his power and the sudden loss of so much blood. The most she could do for him was ease his pain. The rest would be up to him.

She sighed at her own uselessness as she climbed the last of the stairs to the first landing and reached for the door knob. She opened it softly, peeking around the wood before she froze.

"Please... Please be okay…"

Elizabeth was laying on the bed next to the captain holding him in the most caring embrace Merlin had ever seen and begging through her sobs to the sleeping sin.

Merlin watched for a moment, swearing that the look of pain on his face had subsided… bringing a small grin to Merlin's lips. Just as softly as she had entered, she left, putting the little vial of remedy into her coat pocket, "Looks like we won't be needing this…" she whispered descending the stairs once more.

* * *

It was dark. Camelot glowed softly with the lights emanating from homes and shops closed for the night, and families tucked securely away.

 _How sickening…_

Tessa made her way down the destroyed street with hand extended, collecting the shadows she had unleashed after the sin and the princess. What a pain this entire farce had been. If it had been up to her, she would have ended it right then and there.

But is wasn't up to her. No, her master had far greater things in mind. Who was she to argue?

Sighing as the last of her lovely shadows crept back into her possession, she was suddenly aware of another presence. Coming to the end of the destruction and back to the untouched roads, Tessa looked up in time to see flowers and plants wilt before her eyes.

Ah… so he was back. She was sure he had gone back with her master…

There was no wonder people thought this guy was a monster. Everywhere he tread, the foliage died and food rotted. It made sense why they referred to him as Famine in their little group. He was the most suited for the title. Unlike her title. It was a sore subject.

She waited in the street until he was at her side, glancing around the shops and buildings like a damned tourist, all the while, his dark brown eyes remained dull. He was a tall guy. Perhaps even a solid half-foot taller than the prince, and always wore a long brown hooded cape that hung over his body like a tent that nearly brushed the ground near his boots. Did they even make clothing in his size?

"You are as conspicuous as ever, Cath. What are you doing here? I thought you and Deidra saw to the prince's return?" she rolled her eyes, having lost the patience to wait any longer and continued walking ahead.

He followed behind her at his own pace, almost like he was gliding over the road instead of walking. She never did hear footsteps when he was walking around. "He returned with Deidra. I've never seen Camelot up close. Figured since you were still here it was a good opportunity," his voice was almost as indifferent as hers usually was, which was a small relief to Tessa. At least, he wasn't like her bubbly twin. There was only so much of her sister's happy-go-lucky despite being a mass murderer personality Tessa could take.

It wasn't until she had made it halfway down the next road that she found the alley that she had lost them in.

Tessa knelt down to brush her fingers over the dark stained cobblestone and brought them up to examine. As she thought… blood. This is where they had made their escape and the severity of his wounds got the better of him. She hummed thoughtfully, keeping her typical scowl in place. She had to give it to the useless princess – it had been quite impressive seeing her struggle with the sin all the way back to the tavern. After losing them for a time, she found them again by chance, already half way to the bar. But, now she saw the whole picture. How he came to be laying haphazardly across a princess's back, bleeding out with every step she took with him.

She sighed, having seen enough. She knew where their targets were. Now, she had a job to do.

Turning, she saw her silent companion staring down at the ground, dull yet curious eyes fixated on a discarded basket full of food. Was the guy hungry or something?

"Are you finished?" she asked, feeling anxious to move on and get to work.

The man ignored her, bending to squat and slowly pick up one of the apples that had been at the top of the basket, eying it like it was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen, twisting it around to see all sides.

That's when she realized why he was staring. The apple was intact. Everything else around the man withered, rotted, and died. But this basket of fruit was still ripe and edible. "Interesting…" he mumbled, "You said the girl was a Druid Priestess?" he asked glancing back at Tessa with those unusually dull brown eyes.

Tessa shrugged. It was rumored to be true. Something that had come about when the Holy Knights tried to overthrow Lioness – or something like that. She didn't care.

He turned back to the basket, picking up the handle as he stood and walked past Tessa to leave, "She'll be more trouble than anticipated."


	12. Authors Note 124

Happy Sunday everyone!

So it's been a little while since I've updated and I wanted to first apologize for that. I live on the east coast of the US, and was one of the millions affected by that nasty snowstorm that came through. I wish I could show you pictures, you can only see the top part of my car. My area is sitting under roughly 35 - 40 inches of snow. As you can imagine, it was oh so much fun. (Sarcastic comment is sarcastic).

The other reason I'm posting this A/N is because I'm about to change the rating of the story, and I wanted to give everyone a fair warning before it disappeared from the usual feed/ got reallllly intense. So... YAY for intense awesomeness to come!

You'll also notice that my username has changed! You can thank my good friends Lick, Luv, and Stormie for my nickname DOM, and Rainstorm2122 for the username! Love these ladies. You should seriously check out their stories if you haven't already. They will certainly make you cry far less than I do! (Though, you know you love my torture! ;))

Thanks for keeping with me. I am so beyond honored to have so many wonderful readers and followers, and I hope that you are enjoying this adventure.

Now, on to some Ban goodness (lick I'm looking at you...)

Much love,

Dom (AKA Ash)


	13. Chapter 10: Revelation

**HELLO!**

 **Welcome to the first REAL M rated chapter! I'm so excited! I'm so sorry it took so long to get this out to everyone! But, it's here! Things are getting juicy! SO... On to the review responses!**

 ** _Ninjakittinz:_ It would be AWFUL if it had been Meliodas who lost his memories. Think about the fear we've seen with Eli... Can you imagine what would happen if Mel lost control? Ugghhh... I shutter to even THINK about it...**

 ** _Somewhat Intriguing:_ WELCOME! We are super happy you could join us! It took three days to unbury my car. It sucked, but we are alive, so that's what matters. I'm glad you understand my writing! It's so true! I hope you continue to enjoy the adventure I have planned!**

 ** _Lick:_ MY LOVELY LICK! I love you so much. Publicly and privately (wink wink). Enjoy the buttery banquet. I couldn't have done it without you! Also... yes. I'm going to remain a stingy bitch and keep all of the t-virus. Thank you!**

 ** _SSJ Mirai Gohan:_ UHHHHHH... Okay... interesting little freak out there. Glad you're enjoying the ride. hahaha**

 ** _LUV:_ Lovely lovely luv... I heart you. Hopefully, I answer all of your burning questions in this chappie!**

 ** _Stormie:_ Stawp slapping me with the ruler! Dom is bad cause she wants to be! You cannot stop me! MUHAHAHAHAAH. Also, couldn't have written this chappie without your help either, so thanks a bunch! Love you!**

 **That's all I have for you this time! More next time! On a serious note, thank you, everyone, who continues to follow me and the story. It's an honor that you guys participate so much. I love reading your reviews, so please please please please keep sending them.**

 **I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Revelation**

So… warm…

Meliodas felt like his body was wrapped in light, and that light invaded every inch of him. It was warm and soothing, unlike anything he had felt in so long. It was soft too. Where had he been that he managed to find somewhere so nice to rest? He couldn't remember…

His hand twitched as he grasped at the cloud he slumbered on. So soft and warm, yet firm beneath his fingers. Silky soft. This had to be heaven, right? There was no way a place so wonderful as this existed on good old terra firma. He squeezed his plump cloud again, and a pleasurable whimper resounded in his ear that was pressed to the cloud.

Meliodas' eyes shot open.

This was no cloud, but damn, there was no closer to heaven than he would ever be, as he was right then. Meliodas was laying partially on his stomach, draped across a slumbering silverette, who was laying on her back; her left arm draped over him to rest softly on his shoulder. His face had been resting on her bare mid-drift, as her shirt had managed to pull up, and his left hand was outstretched to lay comfortably on Elizabeth's - only partially hidden - breast. No wonder the cloud in his dream was firm…

He peered up at her face, stained with tear streaks. She had been crying again… but, why? Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the slightest glance of a bandage on his cheek. That's when it all came back to him.

They had been walking down the road to find a tailor and Elizabeth had stopped. She was scared but didn't know why. Then he was bleeding. He hadn't felt someone cut him… and then everyone had disappeared from the street. That's when he felt it. The darkness that surrounded the man he had been hunting. Atlas was there and he wasn't alone. There were a total of three others with him. He had run with Elizabeth before the shadows had started chasing them… but everything after that, ran into a colorful haze.

Soft footsteps alerted Meliodas to oncoming guests, one in heels and another with hooves, and he closed his eyes again, feigning sleep just as the bedroom door opened.

"Seems they managed well enough," Merlin chuckled to herself and Meliodas could almost see the fume erupting from Hawk's ears as he took in Meliodas' placement, "That bastard!" he whisper-squealed but did not come charging. Merlin must have stopped him.

Meliodas listened as Merlin's footsteps grew nearer, then after a moment, there was a soft movement to Elizabeth's shoulder, "Elizabeth…" she called softly, attempting to rouse the silverette. She mumbled in her sleep, but must have opened her eyes because Merlin spoke again, with more than her name, "Morning, Elizabeth. How is he?" there was that amusement in Merlin's voice, again. She was obviously getting a huge kick out of the situation. He REALLY needed to tell her she was terrible at this whole bedside manner thing.

"Oh, uh…" Elizabeth shifted, probably looking for him at her side but 'eeped' softly when she realized where he actually was now. She must have been blushing because he felt her skin heat up. Before the heat had gone away, he felt her brush his bangs from his face and place a gentle hand on his forehead.

"His fever is gone!" she gasped happily, "I'm so glad!"

Fever? So he had had a fever at some point in the time between the attack and him waking up. Strange. He wasn't usually one to get sick. He certainly didn't feel sick now.

"Pleased to hear it. Why don't you go get cleaned up, then?" Merlin pressed suddenly. Catching both Elizabeth and him off guard. She mumbled some start to what would have been an argument, but Merlin must have done something to quiet her, "Elizabeth, the captain will not die in the time it would take you to freshen up and change. You're still wearing the bloody clothes from yesterday. Imagine what he'll think if he wakes up and finds you like that."

Bloody clothes, huh? He had been too distracted by her skin to notice her clothes this morning.

"R-Right…" Elizabeth mumbled, and her delicate fingers wrapped around his wrist to pull his hand away. He hadn't meant to, but his fingers twitched to grab her, keep her close. Making the girl freeze. Meliodas relented despite not wanting to lose her warmth and allowed her to remove his hand and then roll him on to his back. She had been so soft about it, he wasn't entirely sure why, until the throbbing started up. It reached from his left shoulder to his right hip, reminding him of another time this particular area hurt so bad.

Ah… so that's what was going on.

He heard Elizabeth thank Merlin, and then a few moments later the bathroom door clicked shut making the silence stretch without her presence. Separated by nothing but a single door knob. He wondered briefly how she would react to him climbing in with her.

"So… Captain. How long do you plan on pretending to sleep?" Merlin mused suddenly as the water filling the tub began to run.

"WHA?! You bastard! You were pretending this whole time?!" Hawk came galloping at full speed to the bed and sprang on to it to tackle the blonde sin. Meliodas gave a million-watt smile to Merlin as he easily held Hawk just out of reach of him.

Merlin shook her head, sighing as she did though she still looked more amused than anything, "Glad to see you conscious," she sent him a knowing look, which reminded him that he probably shouldn't have been wrestling with Hawk at that particular moment. Disregarding the steamed pork sending nasty comments his way, Meliodas glanced over his shoulder to peer at the edges of a bled-through bandage on his back.

"It would seem the bleeding has stopped though I doubt the wounds are closed," the mage had come to peel back the bandages enough to confirm her suspicions before ripping them off completely, without hesitation. The blonde hissed loudly, shooting Merlin the dirtiest glare he could muster while she hummed innocently, "You'll live."

He grumbled something low under his breath about how terrible she was when she placed a hand on his uninjured shoulder, catching him off guard, "How are you feeling otherwise?" she asked, and he could feel a heat emanating from her palm as her magic permeated his skin. She was doing one of her assessments on him again.

"Aside from the cut, I'm fine," he shrugged but watched as Merlin's eyes narrowed on him. He guessed she wasn't as convinced as he was.

"Nothing bothering you at all?" she asked, the question coming out as more of an accusation as she pulled her hand away and crossed her arms, looking down on him with those narrowed eyes.

"If you have something to say, Merlin, spit it out," he retorted quickly, unappreciative of her tone, throwing his legs over the bed so he could stand up. Merlin was like a pillar in his way, though, as she refused to move. He shot an annoyed glance up at her.

"Your energy, captain," she asserted with none of the amusement she had earlier in her voice, "It's becoming increasingly unstable."

"Unstable? What's that supposed to mean?" Hawk looked between them from where he sat on the bed next to Meliodas, but the blonde was quick to brush it off, "Nothing. Because I have it under control."

Had he been standing, Meliodas would have squared himself up to her, so he felt at a bit of a disadvantage from his place on the bed, but he managed to pour every bit of confidence he could into the look he gave her. And that look told her to back down.

Merlin searched his gaze, but eventually sighed, literally backing away from the bed so that Meliodas could have a place to stand. "That is yet to be seen, captain. Just… be warry of your own shortcomings, or they might be your undoing," she warned waving her wand as she sauntered out of the room and back down the stairs.

"Your undoing? What the heck is she talking about Meliodas?"

Meliodas had followed her exit and continued to watch the door even after she was gone. It wasn't like he was ignoring his energy growing unstable. He had gone ten years living with unstable diminished power after Merlin had stolen his full strength. He had a far greater handle on his full power now that it had been returned to him; unstable or not.

"S-Sir Meliodas! You're awake!"

Meliodas' gaze shifted from the door to the bathroom where Elizabeth stood at the open door, all clean and fresh, clutching her blood-soiled clothes to her chest. Water was still dripping from her silver hair that was pulled over her shoulder to lay over her clean shirt. She smiled happily at him, forgetting her surprise in her relief.

He would not become undone. Because he had her… and she was more than enough reason to keep himself in check.

* * *

Ban had made quick work of climbing the several story tall Holy Tree, and now that they were at the top, he stood looking out at the forest with Elaine perched comfortably on his shoulder, taking in the beauty that had sprung up during the time he was gone. He grinned, feeling something that resembled pride fill his chest at the vast forest he had brought back to life. It was an accomplishment on his otherwise terribly marked record of life.

Elaine brushed her fingers through Ban's spikey white hair as she caught the look in his eyes then admired the scenery as well, "It's beautiful isn't it? All because of you…"

Ban's scalp tingled with every brush she made through his hair and looked up at her with a fox's grin on his lips, ideas popping into his head, "Yeah? How are you going to repay me?" he was quick to maneuver so that she was no longer on his shoulder, but wrapped in his arms again, unable to escape.

Elaine's cheeks lit up a delicious bright red at the implications of his words, "Ban!" she cried out embarrassed, trying hard to hide her face from him beneath those golden locks. Ban hooked a finger under her chin to bring her surprised amber eyes to meet his. "You know, I've been keeping a tab, Elaine," he pressed as his fox's grin dipped into something far darker; a smile that promised to swallow Elaine whole.

"A-a t-tab?" was all she managed to stutter out as those dark red eyes stirred something deep down within the fairy.

Ban's smile only grew as he watched the shift in her features, "Mmmmhmmm…" he hummed deeply, the deep vibrations in his chest making her bite her lip, "A tab for all the work I had to do and blood I spilled to get this place back to its former glory…" his voice had dropped to a whisper as he slid his tongue over his lips, savoring the torture it inflicted on his trapped woman.

She squirmed in his arms and against the finger that went from cupping her chin to dragging a pointed nail down her soft throat, "T-that seems-" she gasped and swallowed hard as she was forced to stare up at him longingly, "That seems so s-selfish… Ban…" her skin was alight with bumps as he continued to trace all the way to her collarbone, then excruciatingly slower past the little dip in the bone to travel towards her neckline.

His name in her voice, with that look in her eyes, that look of submissive helplessness, it made him growl deep in his throat as a chuckle managed to escape, "You do realize I'm the fox's sin of greed, right? What can I say? I'm a selfish and greedy son of a bitch…"

Elaine's eyes widened slightly and her cheeks flushed even more than before, the blush reaching down to where his nail rested just above her cleavage, "How… should I pay you back, then?" she asked shyly, eyes darting away from him every once in a while and Ban nearly lost it. It was so sexy seeing her be forward while remaining completely subdued.

"Oh, I know exactly how you can pay me back…" he moaned out as he recaptured her chin and impatiently claimed her soft lips, moving against her with a fervor that could never be sated. He didn't care if they ever came up for air. He would be taking his payment in full… with interest.

Ban moved away from her lips, allowing her a much-needed breath as he lifted her so that he could devour her neck and shoulder with rough kisses and teeth dragging across her skin. Goddesses, she tasted like the sweetest wine, ripe berries and sunshine and lust.

Elaine had reached up and wrapped one arm around his neck, tangling her fingers into his white hair and each time she gasped when he bit her, her fingers would clench and pull his hair tantalizingly. She was breathing so heavy now, chest heaving with each greedy breath she took. The further down her shoulder he went, the more little noises she let escape through those breaths until she was moaning softly.

He carried her towards one of the thick trunks of the Holy Tree, leaning against it and sliding down to sit so that she was straddling his lap and the growing discomfort in his pants. Ban's nails scraped teasingly down Elaine's back and she arched into him, grasping tightly at his leather jacket and letting out a low moan as he reached her lower back and then, out, down her legs. Once reaching the hem of her dress, bunched at his lap, his fingers began the slow climb back up, his thumbs pulling her dress up with him as he went.

"Ban-" she groaned, but was quickly silenced as he took her parted lips and invaded her mouth with his tongue, hers quickly gliding to join his in a slippery dance as his fingers reached the apex of her thighs. He grinned through their kiss as one hand explored further, softly drawing his finger across her womanhood and relishing in the way Elaine threw her head back with a surprised moan. She was so wound up… so sensitive. Just a single touch could do all that? Ban's mouth turned up into an evil smile as his eyes narrowed on his prey.

Ban's hand continued to tease her softly below as his other hand glided up her dress to cup and squeeze her small supple breasts, plucking at her hardening nipple as she writhed to get closer to his fingers beckoning her womanhood. The moans she let out were like a siren's song, music to his ears. He loved watching her arch backwards, pressing her breasts into his palm.

"B-Ban…" she bit her lip after moaning his name, her hips rocking back and forth over his fingers and brushing the bulge in his pants. "Please…" she begged and her fingers found the buttons of his leather jacket, unfastening them impatiently as she continued to stare up at him with that same begging in her amber eyes. The fox's sin grinned at her need and deftly rid her of her dress, pulling it over her head and throwing it without looking before she had even managed to get to his next button.

Elaine eeped at her sudden nakedness trying in vain to hide her puckered breasts with her hands before Ban grabbed her wrists to expose them once more and placing her hands back on his leather jacket, "I think you were in the middle of doing something…" he growled seductively and she swallowed hard as she nodded.

This was the only power he was going to give her. He was a greedy selfish bastard after all… He leaned back to watch her naked form move with each button she undid and the way her eyes darkened with lust when his chest was made bare to him. He watched her eyes trace each of his muscles, all the way to the button of his leather pants… He grinned as he reached between them to unbutton his pants and Elaine watched with rapt attention at the deft movements of his fingers as he removed his jacket. He didn't continue, instead taking back the power he had relinquished to her by wrapping his arms around her naked body, pulling her close to him to glide his tongue down her throat, then her collar bone then finally to the valley between her breasts. He dragged his tongue from breast to breast, lapping at her nipples as his hands clasped her butt, then explored between her legs again, dragging his fingers across her slit, feeling her wetness.

He dipped his middle finger inside quickly and Elaine spasmed into a pleasure filled cry. Ban couldn't help himself anymore. He continued to trust his finger in and out of her sex, the hot walls clenching tightly, and he continued his assault of her breasts until she was moaning louder and louder. She was so close. He could feel her body tighten just before she called his name in the most erotic tone he had ever heard, "Baaaannn…. Ahhhh….mmmmm…."

Pulling his fingers from her throbbing womanhood, Elain was quick to grab his hand and plant chaste kisses over his knuckles, licking her lips as she finally kissed the finger that was coated in her juices. She panted in her release, but was far from done as she finished kissing his hand and gave him a look of hunger he never imagined he would see on his fairy princess. A look that demanded he give her exactly what she wanted…

Elaine's hands found and hooked into his pants and he didn't stop her as she managed to wrestle him out of his restraint. He was already harder than he would have thought possible for being trapped in those leather pants, and as her soft fingers danced across his erection he only grew harder.

Elaine licked her lips as she played with him in her hands, experimenting with how and where she grabbed his shaft. He let out a shaky groan before placing his hands over hers and coaxed them up and down his length, guiding her thumbs over his head as they built up a rhythm. "J-just like that…" he growled, allowing her free reign over him once more. She began squeezing her hands experimentally eliciting a pleasurable groan from her bandit as she quickened her strokes, growing more and more confident as his head dipped back with each eager tug. Feeling really confident, Elaine dunked her head to give his slit a lick, finding she didn't mind the action, and seeing the way it made Ban reel, she continued, lapping and then surrounding his head in her mouth. She allowed her tongue to flick back and forth over the sensitive skin, while her hands continued to pump him.

Ban clenched his teeth as he felt his muscles tense, his body aching for release, but he placed his hands over Elaine's once more, this time keeping her from continuing her strokes, and she released his cock from her mouth to look up at him curiously. There was no way he was going to let her finish him this way. He needed to be inside her.

Ban lifted her so that he could press her backwards, laying her on her back and sitting between her legs. Her body laid before him in a nude-colored wonderland, just waiting for him to plunder. "You ready, Elaine?" he asked, lining up his hips with hers, and she whimpered her agreement as she bit her lip in anticipation.

He was slow at first, pressing into her and watching as her back arched and cried out as he managed to sheath himself inside her. He held himself inside her tight sex as he leaned down to swallow her moans, tasting how delicious her lust was. It was like he couldn't control his body any longer. He began moving again, thrusting in and out of her, making her cry his name in broken syllables far longer than his actual name. He dipped to engulf her nipple in his mouth, using his teeth to tug at it, making the fairy arch even higher and throw her arms around his neck to support the bridge she had made with her body. Goddesses, she was driving him crazy. His mind was a haze of lust and passion as he penetrated her harder and faster, each breath she gave releasing another moan that swam with his own grunts.

"Baaann!" she screamed in ecstasy as her body tightened around him and she gave way to her pleasure, the vision of which having been enough to throw Ban right off the edge with her. He panted, feeling her pulse around him as she rode out her orgasm then slowly she relaxed, allowing him to lay her gently on the bark of the tree and pull himself out of her. He smiled as he grabbed his leather jacket to lay across her shaking naked form, then planted chaste kisses all over her face.

"Is this how humans usually pay for these 'tabs' you spoke of?" she giggled, turning on to her side to see him when he laid next to her, making him laugh, "No. This was a special case."

Elaine's brows pulled together as she looked on in curiosity, and he couldn't help the fox grin that formed over his lips, "Because you're the center of my greed. I don't want anything but you." He whispered, before Elaine launched herself up to lock lips with him again, not out of desire or lust, but with the only feeling of love he had ever experienced.

"Is that why you came back, Ban?" she asked once she pulled back to look into his face and he managed to pull the jacket up and around her shoulders. Before looking out over the forest. As much as he wanted that to be the reason… his lust for her was not what brought him back sooner than he had planned.

"We've run into a new enemy." He stated simply, and Elaine seemed to sit up a little taller at the news, "A real madman. Crazy as hell. But, he's also crazy powerful. Nearly took out the captain and his princess."

Elaine tilted her head as she watched the emotions playing in his eyes, choosing to allow him to explore those emotions and wait for him to continue. She knew that the captain of the sins, the group of knights Ban was a part of was a close friend of Ban's… someone who he truly cared for.

"I've seen some crazy weird powers before… but his people… they were different. I came to ask you about one of them." Ban finished, keeping his eyes on the tree line in the distance.

"You came to ask me? But… why?" Elaine was visibly confused. She had very little knowledge of the human world outside of what Ban had taught her all those years ago. She made her place next to him, pulling her knees up and wrapping her arms around them under his long leather coat, and for the first time since bring up the conversation, Ban grinned at her.

"I'm no coward, never have been, never will be… but for the first time in a long time…." His voice trailed off as he watched her, a kind of unreadable emotion passing over his features, "I was afraid I was going to die." He finished, and Elaine visibly paled at his words.

Ban the undead… was afraid to die?

"But… Ban…. You're immortal. You drank the Fountain of Youth. You cannot die." She spoke through her confusion, brows knit together.

"Ban sighed, running one hand through his white hair as he did, "Yeah, I know that I can't really die. But this woman had a freaky power over shadows that could destroy me from the inside out. It was like being sick. Every time I healed, it felt like my body would destroy itself."

Elaine's eyes widened, her mouth falling open the slightest as she glanced out towards the boundary between the Fairy King's forest and the human world. She bit her lip as she fell into a deep contemplation, only turning back when Ban reached out to caress the crease her brows had formed in her concerned look. "Ban… There is an ancient tale passed through the clans." She paused, looking down at her knees as if the scripture was written on her skin.

"In a time of wickedness and distrust between the clans, the goddesses set forth mighty punishments as a means to cleanse the lands. They took many forms… but all who claimed to see them, swore that they were the worst of demons, riding stallions of different shades." Elaine grew silent and Ban's brow rose expectantly.

"Ban… you saw the forest line when you arrived?"

The fox's eyes darted to peer out at the forest, "Yeah, what happened out there? I've never seen plants die like that."

"It was a single human man."

Ban swung fast to look at her in shock, a single HUMAN man had caused all of THAT? Elaine kept her eyes cast across her bare knees, "He did not enter the forest. He had remained within the fog that separates this world from yours. He was merely traveling, but I watched as he went. Everywhere the man stepped, the foliage died. What's more… I felt something sinister from this man, so I had a few of the fairies follow him towards the next human town." She hugged her knees tighter, "Everyone in the town…. All of their food and livestock died and rotted. But, what happened to the humans… they all began to go mad. They slipped into a state of madness that could not be cured, and they began killing one another."

Ban's eyes narrowed on Elaine. This couldn't have been a normal human. There was no way. How could someone have that kind of power? That's when it clicked… he already knew someone with crazy power like that.

"Elaine, why did you tell me that story? About the demons?"

She didn't look at him, instead pulling his jacket tighter around her as if the mere mention was enough to chill her to the bone, "One of the demons in that legend had the powers of which I spoke of. The power to rot and decay and destroy the minds of others. He was called Famine. Similarly, his comrade had the power to destroy entire clans through their bodies. This demon was called Pestilence."

They were connected. That bitch with the power over shadows and the man who destroyed part of the fairy king's forest… They were on the same side. These were not ordinary people… they had the powers of ancient demons.


	14. Chapter 11: Preparations

HEY EVERYONE!

Happy Saturday! So this was part of one chapter. But the chapter was getting close to 8000 words, SOOOOOO I decided to break it up. This is only one of many parts to be released over the next couple of days! YAY!

Review time:

KingdomHeartsFairy: THANK YOU! AND WELCOME! It means a lot to me that you are so thrilled with the story! I di plan on writing more for the fandom. It's one of my favorites and I have a few more plots up my sleeve!

Somewhatintriguing: Oh you... you may get your wish sooner that later. Just keep that in mind!

LUV: YESSSSSSS! MERLIN IS DA BEST! Also, you are welcome. You know you enjoyed that cold shower. Make sure you invite me next time though.

Lick: When you speak to me, I feel as if I am receiving that messenger of the gods. No, I feel as if the words you speak are the last true mouthpiece of the etherial beings we seek out as gods. It is binding, enthralling and intoxicating. I swim in the haze that is my lust for you. (I think that means Dom liked your review!)

BettyBest2: Perhaps, because not all of the information we gather over the ages is completely true. ;)

Stormie: ALLL THE HAPPYYY! I will be giving you a chapter of happy here over the next couple days!

Thank you so much for all of your support and wonderfulness. I couldn't do this without all of you. Seriously. You're all awesome.

I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!

* * *

Chapter 11: Preparation

Elizabeth ran her rag over the last of the tables and smiled with a sigh as she looked out at the tavern floor. The counters and tables practically sparkled, and the floor gleamed. All of the dishes were washed and set neatly in place along the counter for easy access. The silverette couldn't help the sense of accomplishment that washed over her as she took in the bar that she had managed to clean all by herself and all before the tavern opening. She clenched her fist in her victory, "Now Sir Meliodas won't have to do any work until later and he can rest a while longer."

Since his waking the day before, Elizabeth was doing everything in her power to make it so the captain of the sins didn't have to strain himself. She made a point of making his meals and doing extra work to make sure all of the chores were done. She had even given up the bed so that he would have a comfortable place to sleep – though he looked displeased by the idea, until King had offered her the use of Ban's bed while the man was away. Somehow Sir Meliodas seemed even more displeased by this idea than the last, but luckily for her, she had the support of everyone else and managed to convince him.

Elizabeth walked behind the counter and washed out the little rag and hung it over the sink as she continued to ponder her day. It was almost late afternoon and it was rather quiet around the tavern. As the silence fell over her, it occurred to her that she hadn't seen or heard much of anything from anyone at all that morning. Hawk had come for his scraps and helped her lug out the trash but other than that, nothing. Where was everyone?

"I wonder if Sir Meliodas is still sleeping?" she asked softly to the empty tavern as her eyes drifted to the ceiling. She had just resolved to check on him when a very jubilant mass of orange and frills came twirling down the stairs and danced around the tables.

"We're going to a party~ We're going to a party~!" Diane sang out as she swung herself back and forth, looking like she might burst of happiness as she watched the dress she wore flow around her. She looked so lovely with the way her hair hung loosely down her back, but was also braided beautifully on either side of her head. It was like a crown. Orange really did suit the woman, Elizabeth admitted as she giggled at the pure unadulterated joy of her friend. The Giantess' eyes followed the sound of her tender chuckle and the orange mass stopped dead in her tracks the moment her eyes locked on Elizabeth's person.

"Elizabeth! Why aren't you ready yet?!"

Elizabeth shifted from happy to surprised almost as quickly as Diane had, her eyes widening at the question. Ready? Oh, that's right. Tonight was the Gala King Arthur was holding in the Sin's honor. How could she have forgotten about… right. Sir Meliodas had been taking her out to get a dress when he was attacked. Her features softened as the last few days replayed in her mind.

It was too bad. She had been looking forward to going to the Gala with him…

The thoughts running through her head suddenly gave her pause and her cheeks flared a bright red. Cursing her inability to control those wayward thoughts, she quickly cleared her throat and twisted her fingers. "Oh, uh, well… I don't have anything to wear. It's alright though!" she smiled honestly. There was no way she could go now. Not with the tavern opening up soon. She couldn't possibly leave Sir Meliodas to his own devices while he was still wounded. It was the lease she could do for him…

"Right… you were supposed to get something the day Captain was attacked…" Diane had pressed a finger to her cheek, recalling the events of the last few days as well before her face fell in disappointment. She looked so upset, making Elizabeth sputter her assurances.

"I don't mind, really! I'll just watch the tavern with Sir Meliodas tonight!"

"The Captain isn't here, Elizabeth. He said something about needing to do something, then ran out. That was a while ago."

Elizabeth swung around at the sound of Merlin's voice behind her and stared at the mage in shock. Partially from the news that somehow, Sir Meliodas had managed to sneak away without her noticing, and partially from the sight of the mage herself. If Elizabeth had thought Diane was beautiful in her dress, there was nothing that could describe the elegance that Merlin portrayed in her formal gown. Somehow the mage had managed a neckline that didn't even count as a neckline anymore as it did not exist. The black silken dress wrapped around her delicate neck then plunged down below her navel, leaving very little to the imagination. It was form fitting, hugging her back and hips then trailing behind her in a medium train. Merlin grinned seductively with painted lips as Elizabeth's eyes finally reached hers, and the silverette snapped her mouth closed from her gawking and returned to the situation at hand.

"H-He really shouldn't be out in that condition! Why would he leave? And what about the Tavern?"

"Oh, don't fret, Elizabeth. The captain is a lot tougher than you give him credit for. Now, what shall we do with your dress situation?" Merlin chuckled, approaching her in methodical steps, avoiding Elizabeth's question about the tavern all together. How could anyone talk about working when there was a party planned in their honor?

"L-Like I said… I don't mind! I just wont-" she started, taking small steps backward as both Diane and Merlin gave her identical looks of mischief.

"Oh no you don't!"

* * *

Elizabeth stared wide eyed at the woman in the mirror staring back at her. Her cheeks were the brightest red she had ever seen them, though she couldn't tell if it was her or the powder Merlin had applied. "I-I can't! I couldn't! Merlin please this is too much!" she fretted, avoiding her own eyes in her reflection as if her mirror image was judging her for how she was dressed.

Diane stood with wide shining eyes and hands clasped tightly in front of her mouth, as if the action kept her from exploding, while Merlin was nodding her appreciation at her own handiwork, "It's no trouble at all, dear. I'm pleased to see it looks so good on you."

"But… it's so… revealing," sparing a glance back at the mirror, she was quick to look away again completely mortified. How could one dress show off so much skin!

Merlin chuckled placing her hands on Elizabeth's bare shoulders, squeezing reassuringly, "How is it any more revealing than what you wear every day?"

Diane laughed at that, making Elizabeth frown in her flushed state. So the color in her cheeks WAS her natural blush. Great. It was obvious that the mage and giantess were not going to take no for an answer, so Elizabeth sighed and resigned herself to the inevitable.

She was going to a Gala. Whether she liked it or not.

* * *

Meliodas looked out over one of the many balconies that adorned the castle walls; this one giving him a very clear view of the city scape sprawling out towards the horizon and the walls that marked as Camelot's border. He watched as people scurried about in the streets as the late day was coming to an end and there would soon be people lining up to enter the castle for a Gala that promised to be the talk of the year. He hummed mindlessly as he allowed himself a moment to think on his words to Merlin as he escaped out of his bedroom window, 'Make sure Elizabeth has something to wear for the party!'

The mage had merely smiled her affirmation before he jumped out the window and landed on his feet, joined by King on one side and Hawk on the other.

"Captain, do you really think it's-" King had begun to voice his input from his place floating a good foot over him, when Meliodas waved him off.

"It'll be fine! I can't just lounge around while there's a party in our honor!" he grinned deviously, knowing full well that King was more concerned about not telling Elizabeth about leaving than he was about the captain of the sins being up and around with open wounds. He had walked away from worse, after all.

And as much as he LOVED being fussed over by the woman of his desires - and he really loved it… This was no time for him to be bedridden.

Now he was looking out at the cordoned off street where he and Elizabeth had been attacked. At this point, there were no leads, and no signs of any of the shop keepers than had residences there. Everything had been abandoned and rotten. Very similar to Moraine… he had no doubt that Atlas and his goons had been the culprits. This had deranged-power-crazy-lunatic written ALL over it.

Meliodas glanced to his side as he was joined by another presence, and Arthur nodded to him his greetings, but was quick to skip the formalities as he stood at the stone balcony, "To think that you would be attacked in Camelot…" the young king shook his head, a reserved anger raging in his eyes as he looked on the city, "I have increased the guard in the city, and will post knights at your-"

Meliodas patted Arthur on the shoulder, cutting off his next words, "Don't worry about it too much, Arthur. Something tells me they won't attack us again. Not while we're here at least."

King had been floating and resting on his Chastiefol lazily inside the room when he drifted to the doorway, "Why do you think that Captain?"

"Think about it, King, this was a surprise attack. A threat. They were telling us that they knew where we were."

King flipped over on the pillow and laid his head in his palms, his brow pulled together in confusion, "I still don't understand why you think they won't attack again, though."

"Cause you're a dumbass~"

King sputtered his objections before he realized that the blonde in front of him hadn't said another word. The voice had erupted from the other side of the balcony, below them. Leaning over with curious looks, both Meliodas and King's eyes widened as a flash of red suddenly leaped from the sprawling ivory on the castle wall to the stone balcony.

"BAN!" Meliodas shouted happily matching the ecstatic look on the fox's face as he too lifted his arms in the air and crooned, "CAP'N!" before launching into a blinding game of high-fives and 'hups' while King and Arthur stared on incredulously. None of the others noticed the very confused looking pig staring out from where he had made his place in the room behind them.

"I wasn't expecting you back so soon, Ban. You have a fight with your girlfriend?" Meliodas picked, a hint of mischief in his shining green eyes. King's face flashed a heated glare at Ban at the mere implication that the sin had mistreated his little sister.

The fox's sin chuckled, grabbing Meliodas up into a not so gentle headlock and rubbing his fist against his already terribly disheveled blonde hair, "Don't be jealous, cap'n~." Red mirth- filled eyes suddenly shifted to curious as he took in the new bandage on his captain's face and peaking from below his white button-down, "Cap'n~? What the hell? I thought I told you to stay outa trouble while I was gone?"

Meliodas shrugged with his signature easy grin, "Had no say in it, so it doesn't count!"

Ban didn't look nearly as convinced, but he seemed to drop the subject pretty quickly, instead focusing on the more formal looks of his comrades, "What the hell is everyone dressed up for?"


	15. Chapter 12: A Night to Remember

**HEY EVERYONE! HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!**

 **I have been so bad. I promised to post this as multiple chapters right after the last short chapter, but then I went and broke that promise. I promise it was for a good reason, though! If you follow me AND like reading steamy juicy M stories… then you NEED to read the collaboration I made with my lovely co-authors: Lick, Luv, and Rainstorm. Be warned, that story is HOT HOT HOT! It's called "In the Name of Education"**

 **ANYWAYS, shameless self-promotion out of the way, I have a special Valentine's Day treat for all of you, lovelies… and something tells me you guys have been DYING for this chapter. That's right, it's party time! AND it's a long one! (A quick shoutout to my girl Rainstorm2122 who helped me finish this when I had the WORST writers block. Guys, she's amazing, go read her fic.)**

 **BUUUT… before that… Review time!**

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 _ **Bettybest2: But of course, they are! They don't want to have her miss all the fun! Also, I did a poor job of making it clear, but the sequence of events isn't exactly parallel. The timeline for Ban wasn't happening at the EXACT time as everything else. My bad. Besides, if you had info like that, would you take your time coming back?**_

 _ **DragonIceFeather: I feel your pain.**_

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 **I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: A Night to Remember**

"Wish I had known there was going to be a party! I woulda dressed up a bit!" Ban bellowed with a grin. After being caught up on everything that had happened since his departure, he was lounging on the nearest sofa as the other men – Meliodas, King, and Gowther - in the room pulled themselves together. They hadn't had much in the way of formal wear at the tavern, and Arthur had gone out of his way to provide them with clothes suitable for the evening.

Meliodas rolled his eyes at the reflection of Ban in the mirror he stood in front of with arms outstretched, an attendant fussing with the final details. As soon as the attendant finished and excused himself, the blonde unbuttoned the first few buttons of his crisp formal button down, effectively loosening the stranglehold the collar had on his neck. How could people stand to be dressed like this? He'd take his black vest and white slacks over this getup any day.

He did have to admit, though, the dark blue open coat looked pretty cool in contrast to what he was used to wearing at events like these… not that he was invited to many - and for good reason. He frowned at his reflection; he probably would have looked better had the bandages not been necessary, but those damn cuts refused to close.

The captain of the sins caught Ban watching him curiously as he glared at his wounds, "So, what had you come back so quick, Ban?" he asked as the fox's sin brows rose. Ban moved to answer him, but was cut off by a soft knock at the door before it opened to reveal Arthur. If ever he looked like a king, this was the time. Though less extravagant than Meliodas had seen other kings wear, Arthur's regal golden cape and formal uniform were made that much kinglier by his presence, and demanded the attention of everyone surrounding him. The young king clasped his hands together as he took each of them in, the beaming smile on his face lighting up the room, "Everyone looks-" his eyes froze on Ban in his blaring red leather outfit before catching himself, "Wonderful!"

"Not too bad looking yourself, Arthur." Meliodas spoke up as turned to address the royal figure instead of his reflection.

A chuckle escaping the young king as he rested a hand behind his head sheepishly, "Thank you, Sir Meliodas." A sharp wave of orange locks as the Camelot king turned his head to look over his shoulder.

A sultry and familiar voice ringing in his head, " _Come see our grand entrance, Pendragon."_

Meliodas raised a blonde brow at the sudden movements and slight change in Arthur's behaviour. Choosing to not question it, but instead to see it play out, the blonde rogue smiled with hands in pockets.

"Sirs' would you care to see the Gala from above before we descend into the festivities?" Arthur offered pleading with his eyes as he rested his back to the door and let his left arm act as a pointer for his esteemed guests.

King floated higher and lower, as though to remind Arthur how easily he could change perspectives, as Ban frowned and dug a pinky in his ear. Shaking his unruly mop of blonde at his comrade's antics, "Sure, Arthur, we'd love to."

A wide smile stretching the king's face before he turned to lead the four men out of the ready-room and along and heavily decorated hallway. Gowther silently stopping to study a picture or scripture every now and then.

Arthur stopped by double wooden doors that seemed to lead to a balcony. "Come see the beauty!" with that exclamation Meliodas watched with amusement masking his curiosity as they filed out onto the large balcony.

Lights, merry sounds, delicious mouth-watering smells, and the general jubilant atmosphere reaching the gazing men. The ballroom was filled with people and music so filled with mirth that it brought a smile to the faces of all them, troubles suddenly forgotten.

"You sure know how to throw a party, Arthur!" Meliodas whistled, slowly walking out from the group and toward the stone railing that framed the balcony.

The sound of chatter slowly died down as Gowther walked up to the railing beside his captain, his glasses glinting with the different lights, "What could have stopped the entire crowd?"

All four pairs of eyes scanned the crowd with only pair of innocent violet eyes fixating on the elaborately decorated entrance. Waiting until Arthur could faintly see the familiar mage the sweet king then directed the others' eyes.

"I believe I know what stopped the festivities, and I must say, rightfully so." A cheesy grin on his young face from behind the three other men.

"I concur. But why is it they have drawn more attention than any other woman that has entered thus far?" Gowther inquired a finger to his chin as he cocked his head to the side contemplating. "Could it be because of their associations as Sin's, or their attire…" Perplexed the pinkette Goat Sin trailed off from his sentence.

From his place leaning on the banister, Meliodas glanced over to the main ballroom entrance where everyone seemed to be staring, and grinned when he saw a hint of silver. There was only one woman in the kingdom that he knew with hair that shade, and he would always be able to find her in a crowded room.

He leaned over the banister further to see Merlin lead in their little group of ladies in her usual style of 'leave nothing to the imagination'. No doubt she was getting more than a passing glance from a certain young king. Diane was as bubbly as ever in her frills, elegantly dressed yet somehow Merlin's spectrum opposite.

Elizabeth entered behind Merlin and Diane, but there was a stark difference in appearance that gave everyone who watched pause. While the two women in front of her came in dressed to the nines - on display for the ball to admire, Elizabeth entered almost completely covered by a thick cloak that reach to drag behind her. Meliodas' brow rose curiously as he watched her come to face an attendant, the man reaching his hand out and beckoning her to allow him to take the cloak from her. She hesitated shyly, pulling the fabric tighter around her for a moment before relenting with a look of complete embarrassment on her face.

What on earth had Merlin and Diane put her in that she looked so ashamed of herself?

Elizabeth turned, pulling a silver silken-gloved hand up to untie the cloak, and allowed the attendant to pull the garb from her shoulders and the entire ballroom seemed to take a collective breath.

To say that she looked beautiful… would have been such a severe understatement, it would have almost been an insult.

Meliodas watched as the hood pulled free of her silver locks - soft twisting curls tumbling over the same shoulder as the bangs that hid her right eye. Her hair acting as a perfect line to lead his gaze down her form. The dress she wore was in a word… gorgeous. Dark navy to bring out the blue in her eyes and the silver of her hair. The strapless heart shaped bust accentuating the curves and cleavage of her breasts as if it were part of her skin. And speaking of skin… she turned to thank the attendant and Meliodas saw the swooping line of the dress plummet to rest just below the small of her back. The dress was sleeveless and backless and skin tight. How on earth did she even keep it on?

He swallowed thickly, his mouth falling open slightly as he continued to follow the line of her perfectly framed figure and his brows shot up as he spotted the thigh high slit in the dress that parted when she walked to show off just enough leg to tease him to no end. The dress reached all the way to the floor, much like the cloak had, trailing behind her like a royal veil.

"Cap'n~ You got a little drool on your chin~" Ban sang, leaning on the banister and pointing at his own face to accentuate his point.

Meliodas had registered Ban's words enough through his trance like state watching Elizabeth to lift a lazy arm and slowly run it over his chin without breaking his line of sight - or checking to see if Ban had been messing with him for that matter.

The act sent Ban into a fit of cackles that had him leaning halfway over the banister that, had Meliodas been in the right mind, would have easily pushed him off, "Oh she's got you hooked, Cap'n! You look like a damned dog with a bone!"

"So the captain is like a canine?" Gowther asked King, who for all intents and purposes HAD been drooling over the loveliness that was his beloved giantess.

It didn't take long for the rest of the eligible bachelors in the room to swoop in on the unsuspecting silverette, crowding her and clambering for a chance to ask her to dance, making Meliodas' mouth snap shut as he shook himself from the spell her loveliness cast over him.

"Sir Meliodas!"

Arthur's voice rang out in surprise as Meliodas launched himself over the stone railing and crashed to the ballroom's marbled floor, the room echoing with the sound like an explosion and a gust of dust from the pulverized stone silencing all rucus from the gents in front of him.

As Meliodas placed his hands easily in his pants and sauntered nonchalantly to the crowd, they parted for him leaving stunned faces and silence in his wake. As the last few men took shaky steps away from his prize, Meliodas smiled up at Elizabeth who stared wide eyed at his own grand entrance.

"S-Sir Meliodas…." Elizabeth's cheeks were a bright red and no amount of powders or paints could hide that natural glow on her skin.

The blonde offered her his hand with a cocky grin, "Hey there, Elizabeth."

A silky glove came up to reach for his hand before it was snatched up by another 'gentleman' that made up the crowd surrounding her, "Who do you think you are? Crashing in like some hooligan!"

Meliodas' eyes left Elizabeth's for a fraction of a second to her hand being grabbed not-so-gently and at the soft gasp she let out from his tight grip, then his eyes flicked up to the challenger's face with a raised brow - such a possessive gesture for a man who knew nothing about the woman he was grabbing. The man looked down on Meliodas with such pompous ferocity that the captain of the sins wasn't even sure the guy had ever seen a real fight let alone partook in one.

Which was going to make this next part that much more satisfying.

Had any of the bystanders been able to see the speed at which Meliodas moved at that point, they were sure to have seen something quite terrifying. But as far as the crowd and silverette were concerned, one moment there was an annoying prick shouting where he had no right to, the next, he was lying amongst the rubble of a crumbling wall halfway across the room.

"Sorry, but, this one's called for…"

Elizabeth blinked at the sudden loss of weight on her wrist, but before she had any time to process further, Meliodas grasped her fingers delicately, urging her out of the crowd and into the ballroom. The immediate excitement died down and people began to resume their conversations and the music flowed with life once more.

Meliodas glanced behind him at the trailing princess in his grasp, feeling smug that he had received no resistance from her as he led her to the middle of the ballroom before twisting her around and into his waiting arms. One hand holding hers, the other caressing her lower back as he pressed her to him. He could practically feel her heart beat hammering just below her skin and she turned shy eyes away from him for the first time.

"What's wrong? You wanted to dance, right?" he asked with an easy smile.

She began to chew the inside of her lip as her cheeks flared even brighter, "But I… I don't know… I don't know if I know how to dance." she murmured under her breath, her embarrassment stemming from her forgotten past.

His smile softened at her as he clutched her hand reassuringly, "It's not so hard. Even if you don't remember, your feet will. Just follow my lead."

Slowly, Elizabeth's eyes widened before she nodded her agreement and they began to step in time to the changing music. It was a soft and sad song, played on the cords of a harp and the crisp notes of chimes. A lone flute sang out in accompaniment as it reminded Meliodas of lonely days and solitude. Nights spent alone.

But with each passing moment, moving with Elizabeth in his arms, her eyes locked on his, the song changed. It was ringing of hope and determination. Telling of bright sunrises to come. Mornings spent looking ahead with someone he held so dear it hurt.

Their steps flowed easily across the floor, softly like wisps of air. They were no longer in the grand ballroom, but lost in a world of their own. Elizabeth's eyes darted back and forth searching his for an answer to some unspoken question. Her fingers squeezed his good shoulder the slightest bit as he pulled her even closer to him. "Could you do me a favor?"

Her brows rose questioningly at his sudden request, "A favor? O-of course. Anything."

"Save the last dance for me, okay, Elizabeth?"

Her face lit up brighter than he had seen thus far, eyes wide. If a million questions were running through her mind right then, he couldn't tell, but he could see mirth overflowing from those bright eyes in a way he hadn't seen in a long time. "Yes, of course I will," she smiled warmly at him.

As the song came to an end and they slowed their steps to stand apart from one another and bow as the other dancers did, their eyes remained transfixed on the other - completely unawares of the crowd that had stopped to watch them dance so emotionally.

"H-Hey, Elizabeth?" Meliodas began, sounding almost unsure of himself for some reason, and she hummed in response. "You look-"

"HEY! NO FAIR! STOP HOGGING ELIZABETH TO YOURSELF CAPTAIN!"

In the blink of an eye, Elizabeth had been swiftly pulled away by a fuming giantess, pulling her by the arm in the opposite direction of the captain of the sins, left to stand awkwardly alone in the middle of the ballroom dance floor.

"D-Diane!" Elizabeth cried out, looking back at Meliodas with a hint of longing in her eyes and a flush over her cheeks, before her eyes widened considerably as Meliodas mouthed the last bit of his compliment to her, ' _breathtaking_ '.

"A word, captain?"

He hadn't had a moment's peace before Merlin's voice alerted him to her presence at his side. Choosing to watch Diane swing a giggling princess around the dance floor instead of turning, he remained silent as his answer for her to continue, "Is making the spectacle earlier part of your attempt at remaining in control, captain? Or was that just for giggles?"

Meliodas grinned, well… it had been funny, "He was hurting Elizabeth. Memories or no, she is still a princess in our care and besides that, she is my fiance. Can't let any - ol dumbass put his hands on her."

"Mm-hmm…" she hummed at his side and without turning he could practically hear the knowing smile on her face.

* * *

After spending what felt like hours dancing with Diane and anyone else who dared approach her after Meliodas' grand entrance earlier, Elizabeth found herself standing off to the side watching everyone enjoy themselves. It was so nice seeing the sins all having fun. Diane had switched out to dance with King and though they spent most of their dance both flushed with embarrassment, they seemed happy to spend the time together. Gowther had found a secluded part of the room to watch on intently, studying everything he possibly could. Merlin remained by King Arthur's side the majority of the night, even coaxing him into a dance of their own. How they managed to meld so well even when he seemed so pure and innocent while Merlin was clearly not, well, Elizabeth would never know.

"Hey~ why ya just standin around?"

Elizabeth turned on her heels to the familiar voice, "Sir Ban! When did you get back?"

He looked almost sheepish the way he put his hand behind his head and looked out at the festivities, "Earlier today, got back in time for the party buuut~… this ain't really my scene. Too stuck up. Not enough booze."

The silverette giggled, glancing over at the wide spread buffet lining the wall closest to them, "I'm sure they have something you'll enjoy!"

Elizabeth had never seen so much food and drink of different kinds in her entire life - or at least that she knew of. The air had been filled with so many delicious smells when they had made their entrance, but at the time she was so nervous about being in the dress that she couldn't possibly think about food. Now she was starving. "Everything looks so wonderful!"

"Arthur certainly pulled out all the stops for this Gala," King agreed, sounding impressed by Arthur's quick work in putting the details together so quickly, as he and Diane made their appearance at the table too.

Scanning the table for something to try, Elizabeth settled on a dark looking candy on a platter, "I wonder what kind of dessert this is?" she asked, selecting one and popping it in her mouth. The others watched her curiously as her eyes widened in wonder as she ate a few more. "These are delicious!" she exclaimed happily, taking a few more and eating them one by one.

How could something so small and sweet taste and make her feel so good?

Elizabeth giggled to herself, making Diane scrunch her brows confused, "Elizabeth, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?"

The silverette giggled once more as her head felt fuzzier by the minute. Was it hot in here? With so little actually covering her, she was surprised she felt so warm. And for that matter, why was everything so funny? The people looking at her were funny, the dress she was in, the way her feet clacked over the floor. Everything made her giggle. She took a few more candies and bit into each one, more cheerfully than the last, humming her content. They really needed to serve these candies at the tavern!

"Let me try one-a those…" Ban took a candy from her personal stash, throwing it into his mouth and chewing on it a moment before realization struck his features.

These candies must be filled with happiness, Elizabeth concluded, because Ban burst into a fit of laughter that had him clutching his sides. His laughter only had Elizabeth giggling harder, that is, until Ban began taking more of her candies to eat for himself, making Elizabeth scramble to grab more from the buffet table.

Watching the two, confused, King and Diane both grabbed candies for themselves, both taking a moment to chew before the same realization hit them.

"T-That's-!"

"This is bad!"

Elizabeth stumbled as she reached for more candies, her attention taken from the sweets to the floor. Why was her foot suddenly so cold?

* * *

Meliodas sauntered across the room and watched Ban's laughter curiously before gazing around at the others – who were very much aware of his presence suddenly. What was everyone gawking at? Choosing to ignore their stares as Ban was coming down from his laughing fit, Meliodas' eyes scanned the area and was suddenly aware of a distinct lack of silver hair. Hadn't she been standing there a moment ago? "Where's Elizabeth?" he asked turning slightly to scan the faces of the others in the ballroom, but still seeing no princess.

He turned back to the others who were mimicking him, looking around – equal looks of confusion and urgency on their faces. How on earth does a woman go missing while SURROUNDED by people?

"S-She was just here-!"

A quiet hiccup and a not so quiet thump had all of their eyes slowly trailing to the buffet table they crowded.

With a raised brow and a soft smirk, Meliodas squatted, tilting his head as he gathered the hem of the white linen table cloth then pulled it up slowly to the edge of the table, "What's behind curtain number one?" he whispered as he was greeted with a sight he wouldn't have believed if he hadn't seen it for himself.

Elizabeth looked up surprised from her place under the table, a deep flush over her cheeks that reached all the way to her buxom breasts and delicate fingers pressed to her mouth as if the noise she had made was offensive. She gave him a look so filled with innocence as she lifted the hand not pressed to her lips, that he almost lost it. In her clutches was a single heel.

"I lost my shoe…" she whispered behind her fingers before she hiccupped once more, effectively launching herself back up into the table, hitting her head with another solid thump.

If Ban hadn't already been undead, Meliodas would have thought the man was dying of laughter, as he fell over and roared, quite literally rolling across the floor.

Hell, even Meliodas' lip trembled in the effort it took to hold back his own laughter. He didn't even need an explanation. He knew everything he needed to in the way she was looking at him. His grin turned into an amused smile as he took the heel from the silverette and maneuvered her bare foot out into the open, slipping the heel over her toes and tightening the strap delicately around her ankle. He couldn't help but allow his fingers to linger on her skin for a moment too long before he looked back to her face. Had she turned a few shades darker? He offered her his hand, which she took gingerly and he pulled her out into the light and up on to her wobbly feet.

"Elizabeth, have you been drinking?" he asked innocently enough, though he didn't really need her to answer him. Surprisingly enough, though, Elizabeth shook her head in denial, a little harder and more exaggerated than she probably should have.

"N-No! I've -en eating these WONDERFUL d-serts!" (No! I've been eating these WONDERFUL deserts!) she slurred as she grabbed another dark candy and went to pop it into her mouth, but was disappointed and looked around the ground confused when the treat didn't hit her tongue. Instead, Meliodas had snatched it out of the air and thrown it into his own mouth and bit into the harder outer shell to reveal the molten inner liquid. Of course the girl was drunk! These were filled with a high proof alcohol. These candies would get even the most tolerant of men tipsy.

As annoyed as he was that his comrades had literally just stood by as Elizabeth ate her way to being wasted, he was more than a little amused - and worried - by the affect the alcohol was having on his usually reserved silverette.

She wobbled on her feet again as she twisted around, still looking for the candy that never made it to her mouth.

In a second, Meliodas had grabbed her hand and begun to pull her away from the ball room and towards the exit. The girl needed some air and a bed, because she was smashed. He ignored the calls Ban threw after them about being a kill joy and the sputtering she did in her surprise, but suddenly found her fighting him along the way, tugging back against his pull.

"S-Sir Meliodas! Where – Where are we going?!" she cried out, looking back at the party longingly. Bystanders watching the spectacle curiously as they passed.

"Back to the tavern," he said simply, but she quickly redoubled her efforts to yank her hand away from him.

"No! We-we can't leave yet!"

They had just made it through the open exit to the large decorated gardens outside of the ballroom when Meliodas stopped and looked at her with a raised brow and knowing grin, "And why is that?"

She stopped trying to escape his grasp, choosing instead to look away from him nervously. She squirmed under his scrutiny, "B-Because…"

Meliodas waited, watching her slowly start to sway back and forth, knowing she probably couldn't tell she was rocking.

"b-b-because… I p-promised you…" she sputtered out looking everywhere but him, and his eyes widened. Because she had promised him her last dance?

The timing couldn't have been better. A new tune began to filter out into the night air, much happier than the song they had danced to earlier. Well… she had promised…

Without a moment's hesitation, he pulled Elizabeth up into his arms, carrying her bridal style as she squeaked at the sudden change in gravity and wrapped her arms around his neck. If she wanted to dance, who was he to deny her? He smiled at her as she rocked back and forth and then spun softly with her in his arms, feeling her arms tense to stay close. She smiled so happily that for those brief moments Meliodas was able to forget that she had forgotten him.

As the music died and Meliodas walked further away from the castle with her cradled securely in his arms, he felt Elizabeth pull herself even closer, pressing her face against his neck as she embraced him. It felt different than her earlier mood, though, "Elizabeth?"

"D-Did you love Princess Elizabeth?"

Despite how funny it was that she was talking about herself in the third person without realizing it, Meliodas was taken by the question. It was rather straightforward for her, and completely out of the blue. Guessing the liquid courage was really kicking in, he wondered what brought this on. The grin never left his lips as he contemplated his words carefully. "What makes you ask that?" He continued walking with her under the shining full moon.

The silverette hadn't pulled away from hugging him tightly, so her next words were somewhat muffled as she buried her face in his shoulder, "Someone told me that you cared a lot about someone… and when we were on that hill… you spent a lot of time staring at her grave."

The corners of his mouth twitched; why did the others insist on ignoring his orders? What part of don't force her, didn't anyone get?

She waited quietly for him to answer.

Finally, his grin widened into a full on smile, what was the point in lying to her? She was going to keep coming up with her own theories, "I still do," his voice was full of something… some hidden hope behind his words that made her pull back to look up into his shining green eyes.

Elizabeth's blue orbs widened as she watched the happiness in his face, then her expression fell a little. Was she disappointed by his answer? That was a first. Wasn't someone supposed to be happy when someone professed their love for them?

"Oh…" was all she managed, at first, then there was a hiccup.

"And what about you? Do you love the person who gave you that ring?"

The question seemed to snap the silverette out of whatever made her give him such an unsatisfied face. She lifted her hand to stare down at the little pearl ring on her finger, biting her lip as she thought about the question, "I… I don't know. I-I just… I know that looking at the ring makes me happy -hic-!" she sputtered and slurred trying to explain.

It was as close to a profession of love he was going to get until she remembered him… but this was enough for now. The more she talked, the more obvious it became that she was completely and totally inebriated. Changing subjects at a moment's notice, voice, slurring and changing pitch.

It was a short time before they reached the tavern, and Meliodas snuck them in past a sleeping Hawk to carry Elizabeth upstairs to the bedroom. With a smirk, he dropped the woman on the bed and watched her bounce with a giggle. "You should get some rest, Elizabeth," he said turning on his heels to grab her nightgown hung over the chair nearby and handing it to her. She held it to her chest as she watched him turn around and start towards the door.

Every fiber of his being was burning to stay, but he knew she was already going to hate herself for the hangover to come in the morning. He didn't want or need her to hate him for taking advantage of her drunken state…

"I'll be downstairs. Just give a shout if you need anything," he said, but before he had even managed to take a step away, Elizabeth had launched herself to crab his shirt. Surprised, Meliodas turned back at the distraught look on Elizabeth's face. Sad eyes dancing back and forth trying to focus on him, begging him.

"P-please… don't leave…-hic-"

Goddesses… this woman could probably convince him to do anything… how the heck was he supposed to say no when she gave him a look like that?

With a relenting sigh, Meliodas sat at the head of the bed and immediately wrapped an arm around her shoulder to lead her to lay down on his waiting lap. If he was being completely honest, he would have been just as content sitting outside of the door watching over her. This was a far better alternative.

She sat back up fast as she remembered the nightgown clasped in her hands, "I-I-haf-hic- to get changed tho-hic-!"

Meliodas shook his head as he grasped the side of her face and led her to lay her head back down on his leg and she started giggling in her drunken stupor. It was entirely too ironic considering the things he would RATHER be pushing her head down for…

How could they have let her get so drunk?

She shifted, pulling the blankets he had wrapped around her up to her chin and snuggled against his leg like he was her favorite pillow, "Sir Meliodas?" she whispered in a slurred tone.

"Go to sleep Elizabeth," there was an amused smile on his lips despite having given her the command.

She giggled again with her eyes closed and cheeks flushed from her drunken fever, "Can… C-an you -hic- tell me one of your se-crets?"

Meliodas raised a curious brow at that one. Hadn't he already given her one of his secrets tonight? With a soft chuckle of his own he relented. What could it hurt? "Sure. But, you have to tell me one of yours first," he retorted.

He felt her smile against his leg, "O-Kay," she sang, sighing her comfort and contentedness.

There was a long silence then. He watched her form rise and fall steadily as sleep had taken her finally. He smiled at her silver locks, reaching up to gently drag her stray strands behind her ear.

"I th-think… I like you…"

He almost missed it, she had whispered so softly and in a slur of words that mixed together almost incoherently, but he did hear it. His eyes widened as his hand froze in her hair. She let out another soft chuckle mixed hiccup, and sighed, this time allowing her breaths to deepen and her body to relax.

He was struck by her forwardness once more, while also completely pleased. Oh Elizabeth… that's no secret… though, in all fairness, it wasn't like she remembered having feelings for him. To her, these were new feelings. A new attraction that she wasn't sure how to deal with yet. This really was her deepest secret.

And a promise was a promise…

He leaned over her, her light scent filling his nose as he hovered with his lips a breadth away from caressing her ear, "I… am the one who gave you that ring on your finger…" he spoke softly. He waited a few heartbeats before he leaned further to press his lips to her temple with a chaste kiss.


	16. Chapter 13: The Things We Do

**HAPPY THURSDAY! Or HAPPY WINE DRINKING DAY/ICECREAM FOR BREAKFAST DAY (Look it up)**

 **I was so excited to get the next chapter out to you that I managed it almost four days early! I wish I could go back to posting a chapter a day, but these chapters are all 3-4x longer than the ones from the first story! They take that much longer to write as well. Oh well. All I can do is make sure you have plenty to read when I do post.**

 **REVIEW TIME!**

 _ **LUV: Right to the wire, huh? I'm glad you enjoyed it so much, hopefully, this chapter will entice you that much more!**_

 _ **DrogonIceForce: I KNOW! School comes first though! Take it from a full-time student!**_

 _ **Guest: I'm glad you went for my rare cutesy chapter! That means a lot to me!**_

 _ **Stormie: No spoilers! I'm taking away your sneak peak privileges!**_

 _ **Kayla Panek: Thank you dear! That's very sweet of you to say!**_

 _ **Lick: You love me and you know it. My torture is the highlight of your day. Don't deny it.**_

 _ **Kairi Asakura: Maybe this chapter will have some of that perviness? Or maybe its next chapter, or the chapter after that... I'm not tellin!**_

 _ **foxesandflowers: Patience... hehehehe I love torturing you as well.**_

 _ **direwolfscry: Is this soon enough?! Thank you so much for your support!**_

 _ **Jillion Tealleaf: Thank you so much! Seriously, though, I was so excited about getting last chapter out that I rushed it. It could have been much better, but thank you so much for such a great review!**_

 _ **BettyBest2: YAY! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!**_

 **For everyone else following, favoriting and reading, Thank you! You don't know what it means to me that you are following this story so closely. It is one of my many prides, and it would be nothing if not for you!**

 **I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!**

* * *

 **Chapter 13: The Things We Do**

 _"_ _What are you doing here? I told you to get far away from here." He whisper-chastised while grinning brilliantly at her. She couldn't see his entire face, just his lips and they moved in the moonlight. It was obvious, despite the words, that he was happy to see her. And she was beyond elated to see him too. Her vision rippled in the tears that welled up and threatened to spill over._

 _She was looking in past thick bars… was this a prison? She saw his hand extend through the gaps to conform to the shape of her cheek. It was cool out, but his hands were so warm. They always had been…_

 _Wait… his hands were always warm? Whose hands were these?_

 _She grinned and half laughed, half sobbed in his hand. "I couldn't leave without giving you my answer…" her voice carried in the night, reverberating in her head. Her answer… her answer for what? Why did this scene fill her with so much hope and warmth?_

 _"_ _Yes," Her soft yet eager voice seemed to surprise the man hidden in the shadows and more tears streamed down her face as she smiled sweetly at him, "I couldn't imagine anything that would make me happier!" She grabbed the bars and pulled herself as close as she could possibly get and through them she was able to brush the man's face with her lips._

 _"_ _I'll see you soon, I promise…"_

Elizabeth felt the blinding light before she even had the chance to open her eyes. It seared her sight behind heavy eyelids and made her groan out her pain in a voice that sounded nothing like her own. Goddesses, why did her head feel like it had been struck one too many times with every blunt object in the tavern?

"Eli~zabeth~"

Her name was sung out softly, yet loud enough for her temples to protest. She groaned again, pulling her arm over throbbing eyes. Was she dying? She had to be. The last time she woke up feeling as terrible as this she had just lost her memories and woke up surrounded by the sins.

"Hey, lazy bones~! Time to roll outa bed!"

Elizabeth lifted her hand slightly as her eyes fluttered open to see a fox's grin and a pig staring back at her. "W-wha-?" she croaked, barely able to focus on the pink blob that was suddenly invading her personal space. She peered over to see Ban lifting the window curtain to let in the light from the morning.

"Elizabeth, you were crying in your sleep! Were you having a nightmare?" Hawk placed his snout on the bed right next to her face and his voice felt like it was far louder than it actually was.

Crying?

Elizabeth lifted the arm that had been draped over her eyes and focused on the wet skin there. She had been crying… but… why?

"You kept sayin something about a promise." Ban dead-panned, giving her a cocked brow.

Elizabeth strained to sit up, regretting the decision immediately as her stomach tossed and her world started to spin the moment she did. Covering her mouth, she swallowed the building bile in her throat and looked up queasily at a suddenly very entertained looking fox sin. She couldn't even see him straight, how the heck was she supposed to remember a dream?

"I'm guessin the cap'n didn't get many fluids in ya before you passed out, huh?" he gave her a wide toothy grin as her brow knit together.

Fluids? What the heck was he talking about? She couldn't even remember how she got in bed the night before. Looking down, Elizabeth noted that she was in her usual nightgown. Had she changed herself? "I don't…" she finished her sentence with another pained groan as another wave of nausea and migraines hit her and she cradled her forehead in her palm. The action seemed to help make everything stop spinning at least.

Ban sputtered before laughing outright, "You don't remember a damn thing from last night do ya?!" he bellowed as he slapped his knee, receiving not only a dirty glare from Hawk but Elizabeth as well. Did he _**HAVE**_ to be so loud?

"That bastard better not have done anything weird to you while you were drunk!" Hawk huffed, puffing out his cheeks until they turned a bright red in his anger at, who Elizabeth could only assume was, Meliodas.

So… had Sir Meliodas put her to bed? Where had they been the night before? The Gala. That's right… Now that she thought about it, she didn't remember much of the evening after she had seen the buffet table. Had she really been drunk? She didn't remember drinking anything…

Ban sighed, coming down from his laughing fit and giving her a mischievous look, "Too bad. I wanted all the juicy details of your night alone with the cap'n…"

"N-night… alone?" Blue eyes peered up shyly at the fox's sin as his words sunk in. She had been at the tavern… alone with Sir Meliodas… and she didn't remember any of it? A flush erupted over her cheeks as her mind played out all the things that could have happened while she was inebriated. Her look of horror earning more snickers from the fox's sin of greed.

Hawk placed a reassuring hoof on Elizabeth's leg, "Don't worry Elizabeth, I don't think he'd be stupid enough to do anything."

Elizabeth's teeth worried her bottom lip a moment but she nodded her agreement. Sir Meliodas was handsy… but he had never done anything while she was sleeping – well… not intentionally at least. Which reminded her then, that she still didn't know how she had ended up in her nightgown…

"Welp~ you better get dressed and down stairs before you know who tries to come up and do it for ya~!" Ban whistled happily as he sauntered out of the room. She hadn't even noticed his moving from the side of the bed. She 'eeped' at the prospect of Meliodas coming to the room and rose quickly to change – again regretting it as she felt the bile build in her throat. This time, making a mad dash for the bathroom.

"I'm never drinking again…" she groaned into her arms -propped against the toilet bowl - as she allowed her stomach time to stop their summersaults after a heavy round of dry heaving. That being said… she still didn't remember taking a single sip during the Gala…

It took some time, but Elizabeth eventually managed to climb her way out of the bathroom and into a clean uniform that had been laid across the bed. She guessed that Hawk had put it out for her after she had run to the bathroom sick. Now, she was leaning against the stairwell wall as she took each step one at a time. Why did the world have to spin?

By the time she reached the bottom step, a smug looking mage was in her path. "Elizabeth, Dear, you look terrible," Merlin chirped, looking no worse for wear.

Was there a way she could have said that and not looked so pleased with herself?

That smug grin gave way to something far kinder as Merlin put out her hand, "Drink this. It'll help." She said, giving Elizabeth a pointed look before maneuvering around the silverette and disappearing up the stairs. She unfurled her fingers to examine the small bottle of liquid in her grasp. It was green, almost the same shade she swore she was by now. As she shuffled to the bar, she was aware of the other's eyes on her but chose to ignore them for now until she had the chance to find solid ground once more.

Taking a seat, she laid her head down on the bar, feeling the cool wood against the side of her face, and relishing in the relief it brought. Was this how everyone usually felt after a night of drinking? This was madness! Who in their right mind would subject themselves to this?

"It gets easier with practice…"

As if answering her thoughts, Elizabeth peeked up to see amused green orbs shining brightly at her. Sir Meliodas certainly looked chipper this morning, eyes bright and playful, lips turned up in a grin. Was he making fun of her, or just really happy to see her? Her cheeks began to burn as her conversation with Ban returned to her, and Meliodas' brow shot up curiously as she chose to turn her attention towards the little bottle in her hands.

Throwing caution to the wind in her attempts to get the captain of the sins off her brain, she uncorked the little vial and threw it back like a shot she had seen Ban and Meliodas take more than a couple times.

She regretted this decision almost instantaneously. The green fluid raced down her throat much like a slug would. At a slug's pace and probably with the same taste and texture. It was terrible! Why on earth did Lady Merlin think this would help!? If she didn't have anything to throw up before, she certainly did now... though given the nasty color it went down as she dreaded to think about what it would look and taste like coming back up.

She heard a hiss and looked up to see Meliodas sucking in air through his teeth like he knew the horrors of the substance she had voluntarily drunk, "Yeah, shoulda warned you about that stuff… It works, but it tastes worse than the hangover could ever feel," he smiled at her again. Was he actually enjoying her pain? The thought and the complete nonsense that was making up her morning made her chuckle as soon as the sludge cleared enough from her throat.

He was right about one thing at least; the potion seemed like it really did work. Her world wasn't spinning anymore.

For the first time, Elizabeth was able to look around the tavern without her head protesting at the light filtering in through the windows. It was a beautiful day. Something she hadn't noticed in her hungover state. Sitting at one table, King and Diane sat really close together – Diane was practically sitting on top of the fairy, she was so close. Gowther was sitting at the other end of the bar with a hefty old looking book. Ban, who had been kind enough to wake her, was somehow passed out on a table like he hadn't been awake at all.

"Alright everyone, listen up! We've been losing money since we've been closed-" Meliodas began but was interrupted by Ban raising his head.

"Yeah, I wonder who's fault THAT was~" he grinned, earning a few chuckles from others around the tavern, and then a freshly cleaned mug to the face.

The grin on Meliodas' face didn't waiver, despite having thrown a beer mug faster than any of the others could process, "Like I was saying… We've been losing money, so we need to open up the tavern tonight. Unfortunately, we need supplies-"

Elizabeth's eyes had gone wide and before she even realized it, she had shot up to stand and put her hand over her chest, "I can go get the supplies!" she insisted eagerly, earning her a few curious looks from the others around the bar. Why did everyone look at her like that?

Perhaps, because the last time they had went, they had been attacked? That might have something to do with it…

Meliodas' curious stare softened as he regarded her eager willingness, "Sounds good. I'll go with you."

"N-No!" she shouted, painfully aware of the bandage on his cheek and the one just barely peeking out from his collar. There was a reason she had volunteered… she wanted to give him a chance to heal, and he wasn't going to do that if he was straining under the weight of supplies for the tavern. Her sudden outburst had the blonde looking rather shocked so she sputtered to explain as her cheeks burned and eyes darted away, "I-I mean… I want Sir Ban to accompany me."

Ban's head lifted from his place on the floor, from where he had been sent sprawling from the wayward beer mug, "Do what, now?"

Without taking any time to allow the fox sin to argue, she continued, "You're the tavern owner! You have more important things to do. Please, allow us to run this errand."

Meliodas' eyes narrowed on her thoughtfully, lips pursed as he contemplated her request. Meeting those green orbs, she saw a deep seeded emotion that could have passed for concern… was he worried about her? Those eyes darted to Ban, who was climbing to his feet, still very confused as to what he had been volunteered for. By the time Meliodas' eyes came back to rest on her, they were filled with resolution and his lips turned up into a sly grin, "Alright. If you wanted to spend more time with Ban, all you had to do was say so!"

"W-WHAT?! N-no! That's – that's not!" if she was red before, she was crimson now, from head to toe. Could he really believe that her only motive was that she wanted to spend time alone with Ban?

There was a heavy arm suddenly laced around her shoulders as Ban leaned his weight on her, "Yeah~, there's easier ways to get me alone~" he sang, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Now she understood; they were making fun of her. Elizabeth pouted as her eyes narrowed on the blonde sin, fine. Two could play that game. "Well, if you'll excuse us, Ban and I have some time to spend together." She huffed, turning quickly on her heels and walking right out the door without looking back.

She stretched in the sun for a moment before taking quick steps to get on her way. She wasn't going to let them have the last laugh this time.

Ban jogged to catch up, snickering the entire way, "Aw man, if you could have seen the look on the capn's face!" he howled again, arms wrapped around his stomach as he walked and laughed.

Elizabeth faltered, they were far enough down the road that she could spare a glance back, right? Before she could turn, Ban put a hand on her shoulder with a devious grin, "Now don't go ruining that exit. Make the man sweat."

The majority of the walk into the larger part of the city was quiet between the two. Elizabeth spent that time reflecting on the craziness that had been the last couple of days. Between Sir Meliodas nearly bleeding out after some random attack and an extravagant Gala, she wasn't sure there was a normal day in the life of a sin. She certainly hadn't experienced one – at least not since they had left that little hill...

The little hill...

 _"_ _Did you love Princess Elizabeth?"_

It was like she had been hit with the dizzying memory in the face. She didn't… did she really ask Sir Meliodas that? Or was that a product of her drunken haze? _I'm pretty sure he answered me, though…_

Elizabeth's heart began to pound as little bits and pieces of the night before flooded back to her. Her dance with the captain of the sins… and a second dance? Her last dance… Oh, goddesses… she DID ask him! How could she be so forward about something that was none of her business?!

"You're goin to bite through your lip at this rate." Ban's dead-pan tone interrupted her mental ranting and she looked up completely flushed as he stared quizzically at her. She hadn't even realized she was biting her lip. Now that she released it, her lip throbbed from the pressure she had put on it.

"S-Sir Ban?"

The fox's sin brow arched and hummed, having resumed his gait alongside her as they began to enter the busier city streets, lined with the same bustling life that had lined the streets the other day. She guessed this was just a normal everyday occurrence here in Camelot.

The silverette clutched her hands together tightly in front of her as she garnered the courage she needed, "Princess Elizabeth… she was really important to Sir Meliodas, right?" she didn't look up at him, but she could tell he was looking at her now, "I'm pretty sure he told me last night that he… was still in love with her."

Ban snorted like something she said was funny, "Well if he told you that much, why you askin~?"

She found herself worrying her lip once more, "I just… What was she like?" she stopped walking, Ban following suit to look back at her as he had taken a few large strides ahead. "She's had such a lasting effect on him… I just wish I could be more like her, I guess…"

There was a moment of silence between the two. The sounds of the busy street filling the lack of conversation as people milled about – oblivious to the intimate request - before Ban erupted into a fit of laughter that gave pause to everyone passing by them. His laughter had caught her off guard at first, but now her entire body was ignited in a burning flush that she swore she could feel in the tips of her toes. What was so funny about that?!

"That's real special, Elizabeth…" he coughed, catching his breath through his aching lungs, then coming to place a reassuring hand on the silverette's head like a brother would his sister, "It's not really my place to say, but the cap'n has a soft spot for ya. So, don't go worryin about the past."

Blue eyes stared surprised up at red as she allowed his words to permeate her.

 _The captain of the sins… has a soft spot for… me?_

When he put it so simply, all of her worries seemed to flit away. It was such a simple answer... and yet the meaning it held for her eased the worries that had plagued her, worries she hadn't even realized had made such a huge impact on her. The surprise that had marred her face softened as she gave him a brilliant smile and nodded her agreement. He was right. What was the point in dwelling in the past?

"Oh, it's you again, young miss!"

Ban was the first of the two to look up, followed by Elizabeth who spun around to find the voice that had called out to her. In the line of vendors along the street was the unassuming stall, lined with no merchandise, but occupied by the old woman Elizabeth had come to know as the seer.

"You know this hag?" Ban asked, examining the old woman with a careful eye as Elizabeth came and gave the woman a warm smile. At Ban's comment, the seer laughed heartily, flashing her blind eyes up at him and peering just as hard at him.

"I'm not the one who's already dead, my boy," she cracked, reaching forward with hands outstretched, beckoning for Elizabeth to take them.

"Undead," Ban muttered under his breath.

The silverette complied without hesitation, placing her hands softly into the old woman's, noting that her silky warm hands were far colder this time, "Thank you for your fortunes the other day. I haven't forgotten your warnings," spoke through her smile, but looking into the misty white eyes that turned on her made her falter. It was still so eerie… the way it felt like this woman could see right to her soul. For all she could tell, the seer probably could.

"Your heart aches, dear…"

Elizabeth's eyes widened as the old woman ran cold thumbs in circles over the backs of Elizabeth's hands. Instead of comforting though, the action sent chills down Elizabeth's spine from the tip of her head to her toes. She could feel the hair on her body stand on end. What was the feeling of foreboding?

"The person you care most for is hurt, and the wound they carry is not of natural causes. They will continue to get worse." The seer spoke low, but evenly despite the gravity of her warning. The silverette still clinging to her aged hands visibly paled, while the undead man rose a brow skeptically.

She was talking about Sir Meliodas... she had to be... He was going to get worse if she didn't do something...

"H-How can I help him?!" she pleaded, pulling in closer to search the woman's fogged eyes for some answer, and in response, the woman pulled her fingers away from her to reach under the stall for a brief moment, before returning with a large bottle of liquid. It was a shade of red that was reminiscent of dried blood – a thought that immediately made Elizabeth shudder. Surely, that's not what it actually was, though… She eyed the bottle curiously as the woman placed it on the table between them then smiled softly up at her.

"Using this remedy, you can heal any wound." She spoke easily, but batted Elizabeth's hands away when she tried to reach for it, "Oh, no dear, this potion is not for free. There is a price."

With determination Elizabeth straightened her posture, "Of course! Anything!" this was her chance to help Sir Meliodas heal! There wasn't a price she wouldn't be ready to pay.

The seer smiled kindly at her, moving shaky hands to point at her finger, "That, dear. This remedy will cost you the pretty ring on your finger."

That was a price she hadn't expected…

Without realizing she had moved, her fingers grazed the soft pearl on her ring finger and caressed it while staring at the woman in disbelief. This was the only thing she had left to connect her to her past… but it was the only thing that could pay for a cure for wounds that refused to heal.

Was she willing to part with her only clue to who she was?

She could feel the eyes of Ban watching her from behind and the seer in front of her as her own gazed down fondly at the little ring. It shone softly as the pearl picked up the light of the late morning sun. It held so many secrets and promised of a past filled with hope and love.

Of course she was… Who was she kidding… she would trade anything to make him well again.

Elizabeth slowly pulled the ring from her finger and held it out to the old woman, but Ban's hand wrapped around her wrist, jerking it back softly before the seer could take her payment, "What the hell are you doing? You're just going to give up your only clue for something you're not even sure works?!" he spat, making her flinch at his harsh tone. As if it wasn't hard enough to part ways with the ring.

"Oh, I assure you, lad, this remedy works…"

With movements faster than Elizabeth thought was possible for a woman of her age, the seer's wrist was suddenly cut open, blood pooling and dripping to the table below. The silverette gasped loudly, covering her mouth before she could let out any other noises as the seer uncorked the bottle and allowed a few droplets to fall to the open wound. In front of their eyes, the cut began to stich itself up much like Ban's own wounds would, much to the surprise of both Ban and Elizabeth.

"Look, give the cap'n some-"

"Sir Ban, it's okay," Elizabeth turned a sweet smile to the fox's sin and he was silenced by the resolution in her voice, "Don't go worrying about the past, right?" with that, Ban removed his hold from the silverette, allowing her to pass the little pearl ring to the seer and grab up the bottle of remedy like it was the answer to every problem they had ever faced…

She beamed brightly at the old seer, thanking her with every fiber of her being with tears just beginning to brim her eyes.

"Sir Ban? Could I ask a favor of you?"

Ban sighed, rolling his eyes as he shoved his hands in his pockets, "Get goin~" he sang, knowing exactly what the girl wanted and smiled slyly as she nodded and turned on her heels to take off running back to the tavern as fast as she could.

Running as quickly as she was, with remedy clutched tightly to her chest, Elizabeth made it back to the tavern in record time. They hadn't been gone for long, so she was surprised when she burst through the door and didn't see Meliodas behind the bar.

"Elizabeth? Is everything alright?" Diane asked concerned, looking around the silverette for any sign of Ban.

Elizabeth huffed, out of breath, looking around, not at one single person, "Where is Sir Meliodas?" she asked, ignoring the question posed to her.

Diane looked at King who shrugged, "He went up a moment ago saying he was going to get cleaned up. If you hurry, you could catch him before he gets in the bath."

With a sift nod and thanks in their direction, Elizabeth ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time and running into the bedroom. Looking around, she didn't see Meliodas, but she did hear water running in the bathroom. In two bounds, Elizabeth threw the door open, launching herself into the bathroom without a second thought, "Sir Meliodas!" she exclaimed excitedly… before the scene in front of her set in.

Meliodas had looked up from his place in the bath, hand freezing in place from pushing wet thick blonde locks out of his face, water, and suds covering his lower half. Beads of water covered his chiseled features and dripped down his face to run the length of his chin and fall back into the bath. Both of the still open cuts were visible as he had removed the bandages in order to clean them. His surprise turned smug as he finished running his hand through his locks and regarded her fully, "Well, hello there… I see you're back."

If the silverette thought she had blushed before, it didn't even come close to the beet red she was now. Her entire body was on fire. "I-I-I C-c-can come b-b-b-b-ack…" she stuttered, eyes darting away. How could she just barge into the man's bath like this?! She had just been so excited to give him the remedy that she hadn't even thought her actions through!

"I don't mind. You obviously had something you wanted to tell me."

Slowly, turning her eyes back to the man, she was shocked to see him leaning casually on the bath's rim, giving her a heated look through narrow eyes. It was like a dare, the way he stared her down.

Still unsure of herself or whether she should be in the bathroom while he was bathing, Elizabeth closed the bathroom door and knelt down next to the tub, much to Meliodas' delight.

"W-well… y-you see… I have a remedy for your wounds, S-S-Sir Meliodas…"

 _Stupid stupid stupid stupid! The least you could do is sound confident if you're going to accept his dare like that!_ But how was this playing fair? The man was naked!

Her words threw off his cocky look as his grin fell and eyes widened on her, "Seriously?"

The silverette's head bobbed quickly, then unfolded her arms to present the bottle of red liquid. It swished around in its glass container, once more reminding her of blood with how fluid it moved. Goddesses… she really hoped that's not what this was. "I… can help you apply it… If you want…"

Meliodas' green eyes widened again at her offer, and that smug grin spread over his lips once more; she was going to regret that one… "I'd really appreciate it," his voice dropped low, making Elizabeth's to meet his dark gaze. She swallowed thickly at the insinuation in his tone, but quickly shook her head of the thought. The man wanted her help with the potion. Nothing more.

Getting up to her knees, giving Meliodas room to back up as she leaned over the side of the tub, she waited her him to settle before uncorking the bottle, placing the glass rim just above his cheek bone and pouring the liquid first over the open cut that had marred his face. The sin hissed through his teeth, squinting.

"D-Does it hurt?"

"Nah just stings a little going in." he commented, then stared curious when Elizabeth let out a gasp and then ran her soft fingertips over his face.

"It's gone!" she exclaimed happily and Meliodas lifted a hand from the water to see for himself. "Well, what do you know… it actually worked…"

Meliodas looked back at her bemused as he took her in, and she felt his eyes ghosting over her. It was not easy to ignore when the man was sitting naked in front of her, that was until he spoke up again.

"Where's your ring, Elizabeth? I don't think I've ever seen you take it off." He tilted his head as if the new angle would give him the answer he sought, and Elizabeth 'eeped' mentally.

"I-I uh… took it off before rushing in. I didn't want to get it wet!" she lied with an easy smile. She didn't want to lie to him, yet at the same time, she didn't want him to know that she had traded it away for the very remedy she was pouring over his wounds.

With renewed excitement and vigor, and without giving the blonde a chance to question her further, Elizabeth stood and reached around the blonde to pour the red liquid down his back, being careful to cover every inch of the cut reaching from shoulder to hip.

Again, Meliodas let out a hiss, "A little warning, please," he complained. His hot breath cascading over her chest, sending the same heated flush over her body. She hadn't realized how close she had been, and what was worse was that she was giving him an eyeful of her chest!

Elizabeth was quick to maneuver away but was caught suddenly, when Meliodas grabbed her neck tie, to keep her from getting too far away, smiling as she swallowed hard and stared at him embarrassed. In a flash, Meliodas had tugged on her hard enough to have her splashing halfway into the bath water, soaked from head to waist.

"You're already soaked, you might as well join me…" Meliodas chuckled, as Elizabeth gasped and stared at the devious man incredulously. That shock and disbelief didn't last long, though, being quickly replaced with embarrassment again, as she realized that the strategically placed suds that had been covering his lower half were becoming thinner and fewer…

"I-I-I'm going to go ch-change…" she stammered, jumping to her feet before the antics of this man could make her any darker red than she already was. She reached the door when his voice reached her again.

"Hey, Elizabeth?" It was softer, much kinder, this time, so she turned her dripping face to look back at his soft smile, "Thank you…"

With a smile of her own, a blush, and a nod, Elizabeth left the bathroom in search of dry clothes with a skip to her step.

* * *

Scuttling down the lesser streets of Camelot, the hooded old seer made her way down an abandoned street in the high afternoon of the day.

Halfway down the road, however, the old woman's lumpish steps began to smooth and eventually turned almost graceful. She was no longer hunching over in her old age, instead standing straight like the heavy weight of age had been lifted from her body.

"That was quite the clever scheme…"

The deep voice stopped the old woman and she turned her fogged eyes towards the sound, lips turning up into a grin as she spotted the young woman laying across the roof of the nearest building.

"So you were watching, then?" the old woman's voice rang out louder than was possible for such old lungs.

Tessa scoffed as if the answer was beyond obvious, "Of course not. This was your job, I was just coming ot make sure you did it properly. But, it is so like you to have someone else do your dirty work."

In an instant, the old woman in the middle of the street erupted into flames, body crumpling to the ground with no fight to her demise. She had been dead for some time now, after all.

Across the street, Tessa saw her sister appear in a flash of smoke, her features alight with her victory, "The seer was merely a pawn like all the rest. She was at death's door anyway. This was a mercy, dear sister." She crooned with a darkness in her eyes that Tessa knew all too well. This was the woman who slaughtered their entire hometown without batting an eye… of course a single soul meant nothing to her.

Tessa watched the fire crackle, sending up black smoke and releasing the foul stench of burning flesh into the air, "So what did you ask for as payment?" she asked, not really caring what the answer was.

Deidra let out a hearty laugh that hinted far too much of her madness, "I asked for the girl's ring! How completely daft could she be?!" Tessa watched with raised brow as Deidra reached into her cloak for something but suddenly went silent. She shifted to the other side, presumably searching her pockets, then her face scrunched in a snarl.

Tessa let out one of her rare laughs at her sister's changing face, "Looks like you've been targeted by a bandit, dear sister… you should really be more aware," she chided ironically. Something told her she knew exactly who had snatched the ring, and it made the scene that much funnier.

Deidra growled under her breath, as she too began to speculate the thief of her spoils, "Whatever. The ring was just a spoil. We accomplished our mission. Now the real work begins."

Tessa didn't need to be told. She was already climbing to her feet to make her way to her next task...

* * *

Meliodas had taken his time in the bath after Elizabeth made her escape. And he had been looking so forward to her climbing in with him…

After finishing and drying off, throwing on clean clothes, he left the bathroom, to find he wasn't alone in the bedroom. Ban laid lazily on the bed, and looked up with a shit eating grin the moment he locked eyes with the blonde, "I hear ya made a miraculous recovery, cap'n" he said, arms propped behind his head.

"Get the hell off the bed, you slob." Meliodas wasn't even going to give the bastard the satisfaction, turning to leave the room. He was still a little sore that Ban had been chosen to go with Elizabeth, and not him... not that he was jealous, or anything.

"Aww… and here I was doing something nice for once."

There was a soft whistle through the air and Meliodas turned in time to catch an object that Ban had chucked at his head, surprised when he opened his hand to find Elizabeth's ring in his palm, "How did you-"

Ban leaped off the bed, shoving his hands in his pockets as he sauntered past the captain with that smug grin still in place, "You should teach your girl to barter. She traded that pretty little trinket for the potion that healed you up."

Ban didn't even wait for his captain's reply. He left the room almost as quickly as he had come in.

Meliodas stared down at the ring in his grasp, his lips turning up softly after a moment as he remembered her fussing over him in the bath and over the last few days. She may not have remembered him when she woke up… but she still loved him. He could tell. Even when she wasn't sure...


	17. Chapter 14: The Foes We Face

**Happy Thursday!**

 **I am so excited for these next few chapters guys... you have no idea. I wanted to get this chapter out quick so that I can post next chapter quickly too... as a lot of you may know, next week is midterms... and assuming I don't just take breaks to write, you probably won't be seeing much of me until the week after! DONT FRET! As I have two chapters (this one and next) that are sure to tide you over until I return to sate your addiction! Grades are important after all! And my goal is to get another 4.0 this semester!**

 **REVIEW TIME! - I would like to point out and celebrate that last chapter was the most reviews on a single chapter in Can I have your Daughter/Can I Keep You history! I might give you guys a little gift for that! (Stay tuned to the end for a special treat)**

 _ **SweetSerenade5281: WELCOME! I know you've been with us, but I love to greet all my first-time reviewers! Thank you so much for coming out of the shadows to let me know how much you like the story! See? Exactly. You understand. Yes, Meliodas is DYING to tell her the truth... he's just afraid of what would happen if he did. I am so glad you hate Atlas so much (still REALLY weird to say that...)! I'm thrilled that I can create an antagonist that you can really despise. Hopefully, you'll learn to hate him even more in the next few chapters... :D**_

 _ **Kayla Panek: I don't know WHAT you're talking about *whistles innocently* I'm so glad I keep you intrigued!**_

 _ **LUV: How could The Dom ever stay mad at you? You're too damn cute for that. I also think of them having a sis/bro relationship as being totally legit. Seriously. Ban's the best wingman in the history of wingmen. It's only natural that he'd protect his besties' girl.**_

 _ **Jenarla xXx: WELCOME! I'm really excited that you've joined us! I'm sorry (not sorry) that this one isn't finished, but I plan on keeping you right here as my eternal slave... hehe hehe... get used to chains, dear. On a serious note, thank you so much for your kind words. It's always awesome when a fan recognizes me for what I truly am: EVIL.**_

 _ **DragonIceFeather: YAY-ICECREAM FOR BREAKFAST! It's alright. Soon. The whole drinking thing is only exciting when you can't do it, then it's all kinda just meh, whatever. Yes, Elizabeth WOULD do anything for Meliodas.**_

 _ **Stormie: -shivers- Love it when you call me master... Glad you liked that tub scene. I knew**_ thats _ **what you were waiting on. lol...**_

 _ **foxesandflowers: AS YOU SHOULD BE. And this chapter may prove that point. ;)**_

 _ **NinjaKittinz: Have you ever had a dream that you woke up from but couldn't remember, but KNEW in your gut it was important? Yeah... poor Eli is feelin that right now. Also, never apologize for long comments. I love them.**_

 _ **somewhat intriguing: I love it when sneakies are up to no good, don't you?**_

 _ **direwolfscry: Oh, you did not rush me at all! I wanted to bring it to you as quickly as possible!**_

 _ **Lickitysplit: Don't** **they** **though? I love them being a big bro/lil sis dynamic. It's too cute.**_

 _ **Lick: No, of course she doesn't! Because what kind of Dom would I be if I made everything as simple as that?! You know you love me. Because I'm giving you moar BAN this chappie!**_

 _ **woundedowl: I know I said it to you over pm, but I'll repeat here, you are adorable, and I love you, and I accept all your licks because I am greedy and I love them.**_

 _ **BettyBest2: Slowly but surely it does look like her mind might be loosening its greedy grip on her locked up memories, doesn't it... surely it's only a matter of time, right?**_

 **To everyone else who continually supporting by reading, following, favoriting, etc, THANK YOU. You all are the reason I do this. Without you, it wouldn't be what it is today. I can't tell you how much each reader means to me.**

 **I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure**

* * *

 **Chapter 14: The Foes We Face**

The night and next morning went on without a hitch, and slowly the tavern was making back some of the profits it had lost in the few nights it had been closed. It wasn't like they all needed a steady income… but it sure didn't hurt to have the funds to make repairs or buy things they couldn't either make or catch on their own.

Meliodas smiled at the sparkling tavern before turning to head up the stairs. Elizabeth had done a phenomenal job keeping the place spick-and-span while he was out of commission. Though, even with the open cuts, he would have helped. She just looked too damn cute fussing over him… and who was he to argue with a woman ordering him to stay in bed?

Now that his wounds were completely healed though, he was glad to have his complete mobility (and freedom) back. As nice as it was for Elizabeth to take on the burdens of keeping the tavern running, Meliodas was a man of action. Resting and recuperating was not exactly past-times he partook in often.

And speaking of action – it was about time they had taken some against the people who had put him in a position where he needed to rest. He was tired of playing catch up with these bastards. It was time to be ahead of the game for once.

"Why is it you're going to the grand library, Sir Meliodas?" Elizabeth asked, following him up the stairs to the bedroom. That morning when he announced his plans for the day to spend time at the grand library, he had asked that she stay and keep an eye on the tavern, to which, she agreed with a beaming smile.

Now that they were climbing up the stairs, Meliodas' arms were propped nonchalantly behind his head, "Got some research to do is all, and the library here in Camelot is pretty big. I'm guessing I'll find what I'm looking for there." He smiled, being overly vague, but Elizabeth didn't seem to mind. She smiled in response, leaving the conversation at that.

The blonde's foot landed on the next step, but he froze, Elizabeth bumping into his back not realizing he had halted in his climb.

"Cap'n…" Ban's voice rang out suddenly from behind, the call out serving as his version of a heads up.

Elizabeth 'eeped' against Meliodas' back, just then realizing Ban's presence climbing the stairs behind them. She looked between them then, picking up on the unspoken conversation but unable to understand it.

Meliodas' features hadn't changed; he remained nonchalant as he began climbing the stairs again, "Mmmhmm," he hummed, telling Ban that he was aware of the situation at hand and had no intention of discussing it further. Though, he was probably going to have Diane stick around the tavern now…

Elizabeth continued to look between the two of them, sporting that adorable look of utter confusion, as they made it to the landing and they parted ways with the fox sin.

"What was that about?" she asked, watching him go to the dresser and finding a clean folded white shirt and throwing it on the bed while he made quick movements to unbutton his current shirt – the silverette suddenly flushed as she avoided looking at him.

"Nothing you have to worry about," he grinned, relishing the affect he was having on her, and buttoning the crisp new shirt up.

Even after he had put the new shirt on, Elizabeth had refrained from making eye contact, instead finding interest in anything BUT him. That remained the case even after she began speaking again, "H-How are you feeling?" she asked rather timidly.

He wasn't all that surprised the question had come up, "Good as new, thanks to that potion you found!" he patted his chest like the potion had replaced his skin with metal instead of just healing his wounds, the act not only gracing him with her attention but also a little giggle as she took in his antics.

It was, at least, mostly true. He was feeling considerably better now that he didn't have gaping wounds on his cheek and back; but that didn't mean his powers were any closer to being under control. On the contrary, the instability of his demonic powers were becoming more pronounced. He could feel the shifts deep within himself – something that he was less concerned about than he probably should have been. But, it wasn't like he was going to tell HER that…

* * *

"Nice work with that potion you gave us, by the way," Meliodas smiled at Merlin from his place sitting leisurely on the window sill. This little window gave him a fantastic vantage point of the city from the castle; especially the area where the tavern was nestled. If he squinted, he would have been able to just make out it's pointed roof.

After ordering Diane to stay with Elizabeth and Hawk at the tavern, the remaining sins were all teleported back to the castle, and into one of the largest libraries Meliodas – or any of the others, save Merlin – had ever entered. Multiple floors and corridors; lined floor to ceiling with rows and stacks of books, artifacts, scrolls. Pieces dating back to the first men and chronicling the development of the races. It reminded Meliodas of some time he had spent in another library in the beautiful city of Alexandria, before it had burned down, of course… but that was nearly a lifetime ago.

Not just anyone had access to this wealth of knowledge either. It was a rare honor to be granted access. Though, Arthur seemed all too thrilled to give them special permission to use it. At the mage's request, no doubt.

Now they were in one of the secluded back areas, filling tables with any and every reference piece they thought may give them insight into who the hell they were dealing with.

The mage returned his smile with ample mischief shining in those cat-like eyes, "Yes, I figured it would come in handy sooner or later. Though, I'm have to say I'm surprised it worked so well. It was only the first batch I had made. These things typically take several test subjects and many errors."

At this, Meliodas frowned, eyeing her speculatively, "I can't believe you tested it on Elizabeth first. Had I known earlier what you had put in that hangover tonic, I would have stopped you."

Having finished rifling through her first book, Merlin cracked open the next, merely smiling as she did, "Precisely why I didn't tell you until AFTER she had returned, unharmed. Besides, there was only a small chance the tonic infused with this new spell would have done any real damage to her."

The day before, after Ban had given Meliodas Elizabeth's ring back and Meliodas had finally joined everyone downstairs, Merlin had given them all the little vial Elizabeth had drunk that morning, informing them of the importance it would have. They had all been surprised of how well it had worked. It was like a fog had been lifted from the lot of them.

That clarity made it abundantly clear how much their defensive was lacking, though. But, that's why they were in the library, right?

Ban, who had made himself comfy on the nearest table not being used, sat up, his expression straight as if the conversation reminded him of something important, "Hey Cap'n? You're a demon, what do you know about these assholes causin so much trouble?"

Meliodas' brow shot up as he looked on Ban incredulously, "What exactly are you getting at?" he dead-panned, completely serious now. What did **_THAT_** have to do with anything?

"These bastards are demons. Shouldn't you know a thing or two about them?"

The library went silent as everyone looked between the two, finally resting on Meliodas, who narrowed his eyes on the fox's sin.

"I don't know who told you that nonsense… but there are a lot of demons out there, you know. Do **_you_** know every human?" he retorted with some bite – a little too much bite, actually. Mentally he checked himself; it was a simple comment, a stupid one at that, but nothing to lose his cool over… Why the hell was he being so defensive?

"Have you ever heard of a demon called plesterlance?" he asked – ignoring the sharp tone his captain was taking and all to serious, but receiving strange looks from most of the sins sitting around their private area of the library. Meliodas mouthed the odd name, rolling it around his mouth like a bad tasting candy. What the hell kinda name was that anyways? Plesterlance? It was like their families actually hated them.

It was Gowther who looked up from the many scrolls and books Merlin had placed in front of him then, "Ban, do you mean 'Pestilence'?" he asked with a stoic expression, but a raised brow to express his curiosity.

The fox sin rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Oh yeah, that's the one!"

Merlin and King's attention was fully on Ban now, their expressions mimicking one another – in anxiousness? Meliodas glanced between the two curiously as Merlin quickly returned to her own stack of books and scrolls, flipping through aged parchment like it was her mission in life, while King put a finger to his mouth in thought, "But… I always thought that was a legend…" he muttered.

"I believe the information you seek is here," the pinkette handed Merlin the oldest of the scrolls to have been placed on his table as he adjusted his glasses with his free hand. With a nod of thanks from the Mage, she took it and unfurled the yellowed parchment as slowly and carefully as she could – it was probably the gentlest Meliodas had ever seen the woman treat something in all his years of knowing her.

King locked on to Ban with suspicious eyes, the seriousness in his face downplayed severely by the pillow clutched to his chest, "How did you find out about this Ban?"

"Aw, don't go gettin your panties in a twist. Elaine told me. Some freak of nature did a lot of damage on the border of the Fairy King's forest." Ban's large hand came to run through his spiked hair, while the others, especially King, swallowed his news.

"Is Elaine alright? What happened?!" the fairy shouted, suddenly in Ban's face – probably far closer than the fox's sin would have liked as he pressed a finger to the fairy's forehead and pushed him to an arms-length distance away. A devious grin had spread over his lips, "Oh, Elaine's juuuust~ fine. I made sure of that~," He sang and King's face turned bright red from the insinuation. Meliodas wasn't sure if it was embarrassment of knowing his younger sister's exploits with Ban, or anger at Ban for his exploits with his younger sister. Either way, King was rendered speechless with the most ridiculous look on his face.

So THAT's why Ban had made it back in record time…

After watching them for a few moments, Meliodas' eyes came back to rest on the unusually quiet Mage who was reading the scroll Gowther had given her quite intently and with a look that gave him pause. Certainly didn't radiate with the same confidence she usually exuded, "Merlin?" he called with a curious brow raised.

The raven-haired mage peered up at him under her lashes, "You're not going to like it captain…"

When did he ever?

By this time, everyone's attention was on her, as her eyes turned back to the ancient parchment, "There is an ancient scripture that tells of mighty entities – punishments - that were sent by the goddesses to cleanse the lands of evil and wickedness. Everywhere these punishments rode on their steeds; War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death came upon the land," she took a breath, biting the inside of her cheek before continuing, "They were prophesized to be the harbingers of the apocalypse."

"The apoco-what?" Ban asked, having only half listened and with a pinky twisting in his ear.

"The end of the world…" King mumbled as he stared wide eyed at the mage.

Meliodas wasn't buying it. He knew Atlas was a madman… but a harbinger of the end of the world? Not a chance in hell. The man wanted to rule the world, not destroy it. His power wasn't even enough to stand up to a single sin alone.

That's when it hit him… HIS power alone, no. But his scythe Ammit: the devourer of souls? That weapon radiated with an energy that made even Meliodas nervous. And on top of that, the weapon absorbed the souls and energy of any who were unfortunate enough to become its victim. He knew from experience… Was it so much of a stretch to believe that the prince of Direneth, in his mad pursuit of power, got his hands on a weapon that could guarantee him a kingdom to rule – even if he was ruling over nothing but the dead?

Not at all. Meliodas would almost bet his life on it.

"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are our enemies…" Merlin mumbled as if the gravity was truly setting in, and a hush came over all of them.

"So how do we beat the demon bastards?!" Ban erupted, breaking the silence with his outburst. He wasn't yelling at the group though; he was staring Meliodas down like he had some sort of say in all of this.

The sin captain remained quiet as he thought about it himself. He wasn't sure the horsemen really were demons; this was the first he had ever heard the scripture himself… but how did one go about defeating someone who was prophesied to bring about the end of the world?

Probably about the same way one goes about defeating the bloodline of darkness to avoid a Holy War, and they already had that notch in their belts with the defeat of the Ten Commandments. How much harder could four harbingers of destruction be? His own half-assed confidence made him grin as he looked each of them in the face and honestly shrugged, "We've always managed before. Now that we know a little more about who we're up against, we'll find a way to take them out." He stated matter-of-factly.

"It'd be a lot damn easier if we had _someone_ who remembered how to help..." Ban brought up a taunting look in his crimson eyes and the room went silent again – everyone watching between their captain and Ban as the air went stale and thick with tension.

Meliodas remained still, keeping his face neutral, but under his skin he felt a sudden surge of heat that surprised even him. "We're not talking about this again, Ban. Leave it alone." Meliodas warned, with an easy look. His warning was just as serious as a sharpened knife, though.

"No, maybe I should tell her about this like I told her about the ring, hm~" The Fox goaded.

Green eyes shined dangerously as Meliodas narrowed them on the fox sin, gauging his seriousness, feeling his blood begin to thrum beneath his skin as his blood pressure picked up. That heat under his skin rising.

"What're you gonna do? Cut me in half again? For actually having a pair? Nut up or shut up!"

"Ban… this really isn't-" King began, but was cut off by the leather clad sin squaring up to the blonde. Staring him down like a superior being. Meliodas' easy look finally broke as his brow rose at the fox's obvious attempts at riling him up. Obvious… but effective. He felt that heat turn to a boil.

"No, I think this is the perfect time."

"Why are you doing this, Ban?" Meliodas' voice was like a glacier compared to his usual tone and his eyes were just as cold despite the boiling in his blood.

"We're up against the Four Horsemen of the _fucking_ Apocalypse, we don't stand a chance without our healer, but she's _useless_ without her memories."

Meliodas' jaw tensed as he clenched his teeth against the low growl that threatened to escape his throat. It was one thing to berate him… another entirely to bring Elizabeth into it… His fist tightened until he was white knuckled, but kept it firmly at his side as his voice dropped to a low warning, "I won't say it again," he said each word slowly so that each syllable would permeate the thick skulled man standing in front of him, "Leave. It. Alone," as each word passed his lips, Meliodas' eyes darkened from emerald green to an inky black. A blackness that promised to swallow anyone that got too close.

Red eyes narrowed on him as his words hung in the air only to widen slightly as he took in the cold blackness Meliodas' eyes had taken, but didn't let that deter him, "Don't be such a fucking dumbass… I told you didn't I? A half-assed softie can't save jack… You're only going to get us all and **_HER_** killed."

It all happened so fast that even the superior skills and senses of the sins spectating were not enough to see what happened in the following seconds.

 _ONE_

The heating boiling exploded under his skin and Meliodas' clenched fist fired up in a punch that would have annihilated any other living being – shattering every bone in Ban's body.

 _TWO_

Ban's broken form nearly disintegrated in the primary impact, but what was left of him crashed like a meteor shower through several thick stone walls, leaving a trail of dust and debris in his wake.

 _THREE_

Everyone else became suddenly aware of the darkening aura surrounding their captain just before he regained his composer to stare with wide muted green eyes at the destruction he had caused.

There was quiet for a moment as the dust settled before any movement was noticed, "Do you really wanna fuckin do this cap'n?!" Ban growled with a dark sneer, climbing out of the rubble of the walls Meliodas had thrown him through as his tattered body stitched itself back together.

"CAPTAIN!" Merlin and King yelled in equal portions disbelief and anger, a few seconds behind, and trying desperately to catch up.

Meliodas breathed heavily and brought his hand up to watch it tremble in his seething anger. This was an anger he was infamous for… his sin that had made him a wanted fugitive and a menace to the kingdoms. This was his wrath. An emotion he kept in check at all times. And yet, he just unleashed it full force on one of his closest friends and allies.

 _He had lost control…_

"Merlin…" the blonde's face was obscured by his golden locks as he continued to stare down at shaking hands, "Teleport me back to the tavern."

The mage didn't move to accommodate his order, eyeing him suspiciously like he might attack her next, "Captain, I don't think that's a-"

Meliodas shot his eyes up to stare her down with an expression that said that he wasn't asking, "Get everyone else here. Even Hawk. Under no circumstances is Elizabeth to be let out of anyone's sight; is that clear?"

The mage and fairy king both hesitated a few heartbeats, taking in the darkness that was beginning to radiate from the blonde, but nodded their agreement, while Ban scoffed and Gowther looked on with intrigue.

With the snap of her fingers, Meliodas was no longer standing amidst his comrades in a destroyed library, but instead in the middle of an empty tavern. A single mug rolled across the bar counter, away from a discarded rag where Elizabeth had most likely been drying it before being whisked away.

He kept his mind blank as he climbed the stairs to the second landing and retreated into the bathroom, but with each step he took his body refused to let go of the rage he had been simmering in. A rage he wanted nothing to do with but seemed to have dug its ugly talons into him… holding on for dear life.

Meliodas yanked his white shirt over his head and threw it against the opposite wall like it was to blame for everything. Breathing heavy through clenched teeth and heaving chest. Grasping the sink like an anchor before looking up into his reflection where dark green – almost black eyes stared back at him. He certainly looked the part of a demon…

How could he have let his anger and power get so far out of his control? He knew… he had felt them fluctuating more pronounced lately… but when had they slipped from his grasp?

His nose and mouth twitched as if he were snarling, like a provoked dog. That's all he amounted to right now. That's all he saw when as he glared in the mirror.

 _What if Elizabeth had been there?_

Her sweet smile from that morning replayed in his mind and it had an overwhelming mixed effect on him. Part of him burned with a rage he hadn't felt in a long time… a rage that he wouldn't wish on his worst enemies. A self-loathing so thick it ran through his veins like a poison. The other was sobered – filled with guilt and regret. Knowing he could have scared her, or worse…

The captain of the sins turned away from his reflection disgusted by what he saw there, locking eyes with the ground, and subsequently the bottle of potion Elizabeth had left on the floor when he had tugged her into the bath.

"That's no place for a potion…" he growled under his breath, looking for anything to help him reel in his growing fury.

He glared at it for a few heart beats before he finally abandoned the sink and made slow steps to pick up the so called 'miracle potion' that had healed wounds that had otherwise refused to close on their own… It was a welcome distraction, but it also posed new questions…

Like, how convenient that it had showed up when they most needed it. Something he hadn't considered when Elizabeth first presented it to him.

With his scowl still in place, Meliodas lifted the bottle to his nose and took a test whiff. There was no immediate offending odor, so he poured the smallest bead on to the back of his hand before running his tongue over it.

The potion had worked, so it probably wasn't poisonous, but he certainly wasn't expecting it to taste so sweet. "Apples?" he murmured, pulling back to examine the dark red fluid still remaining at the bottom. Could healing potions be made from apples? He wasn't aware of any, but that didn't mean they didn't exist.

Taste aside, he was still suspicious. Meliodas didn't believe in coincidences. So what were the chances that someone just had this potion ready and available? And what the hell kind of merchant asked for rings as payment?

Ring… that's right…

Meliodas' hand slipped into his trouser pocket where he palmed the little ring sitting securely in the folds. He hadn't given it back yet, hoping that Elizabeth would come clean, but she kept telling him that she had just forgotten to put it back on… Why did she feel it necessary to lie about it? That aside… there was a part of him that hoped he could do that whole proposing thing right this time – a dream that was made that much more difficult when she didn't remember him.

Or was it?

Taking a deep breath, finding that his anger had subsided considerably, Meliodas turned on the water to run a bath, before sitting on the floor with back pressed against the cold porcelain tub to stare at the little pearl he twisted in is fingers.

Hadn't the last few days proved that she still cared? Despite not having her memories, she was still the Elizabeth he had fallen in love with, if not more brazen than she had ever been before. In fact, this was a new Elizabeth that he had learned to love all over again. Someone who wasn't so shy that she could meet his wit with her own and challenge him. Someone who gave despite having nothing to give.

Maybe Ban was right… Maybe it was time for him to tell her the truth. Make her remember instead of waiting to see if she would on her own... But what then? Would she remember? Would she even believe him if she didn't remember? And what if something happened because he did try to force her? Could he live with the guilt of that? Could he live with the guilt if he didn't at least try?

Meliodas shook his head, placing the ring on the floor next to his clothes as he got undressed and into the bath. He would have to make that decision soon... but soon wasn't right now.

* * *

Special Preview of **Chapter 15: Paved With Good Intentions** for so many reviews!

 _He shook his head with a grin. She thought he was serious about that? What the hell did Ban tell her to make her think **THAT** was the reason he locked himself in alone? He wanted to call out to her and reassure her that it wasn't her fault… it was his sudden lack of control that he was so upset about, but he found himself remaining quiet to listen to her soft voice. Feeling it wash over him like the most soothing of embraces. But he needed her to be on the other side of that door. Soothing or not, he didn't trust himself right now, and that door served as her protection and his cage._

 **Keep sending in those reviews and I'll keep dropping sneak peeks and hints! See you all next chapter!**


	18. Chapter 15: Paved With Good Intentions

**Good evening/morning/prefered time of reading!**

 *******BE WARNED! THIS CHAPTER IS RATED M FOR A REASON!**

 **I was so thrilled** **last chapter was so well received. It just means you guys are going to LOVE what I have in store for you. It is officially midterms week and I have a lot of studying to do, so please don't be surprised if you don't see anything from me until the following week. That being said, this is a 7K chapter, so it should tide you over... for a couple days at least.**

 **REVIEW TIME!**

 _ **LUV: This wouldn't be a Dom story if there wasn't inner turmoil. Seriously. All of my books have them too. Makes for a good read.**_

 _ **Kairi**_ Asakur _ **: WELLLLL, Merlin gave Elizabeth a hangover tonic... that MAY**_ have _ **been laced with a special spell that allows whoever drinks it to feel things they might otherwise not... like a strange aura while climbing the stairs?**_

direwolfscry _ **: I'm so glad you do! YAY! That makes me so happy to hear.**_ Hopefully _ **you'll still continue to love it after you're doing reading this chapter!**_

Jenarla _ **xXx: Lookit! Here you are again! I wish you could do my exams too. Then I could get all the chapters out. Sadly, it is I who has to do them. I do hope that you continue to find inspiration to write. Your story was amazing. This chapter...might be in response to that. ;)**_

 _ **Kayla Panek: Deadly serious, my dear. No, we have our four horsemen, Atlas, Deidra, Tessa, and Cath (who is most often referred to just as Famine). You'll find out who is what soon.**_

 _ **DragonIceFeather: You tell him!**_ Hopefully _ **this next chapter makes you a little happier. :D**_

 _ **Jillion**_ Tealleaf _ **: I am going to print your review and wear it like a badge of honor. Thank you. It fills me with joy to think that I accomplished so much in a single chapter. To be told that my characters are right on target and you can FEEL their emotions... it's every writer's dream. Also, as promised, you are going to LOVE this chapter.**_

 _ **LICK: Merlin's too cool to flip her shit. Though... she may have to do sum splainin to do later (I love Lucy anyone?) That totally wasn't Ban's fault. Though he did poke the bear a little harder than he probably should have. Just**_ sayin _ **. Love you! HOPEFULLY you'll love this chapter too!**_

foxesandflowers _ **: Don't be sad! Only rainbows after rain, my dear! Did I say the potion was making him lose control? HMMM...**_

 _ **NinjaKittinz: What if he did a different kind of drilling? ;)**_

 _ **Stormie: Seriously, I've gotta stop relying on you to bail me out when I get stuck or I'm never going to have any surprises for you.**_

 _ **BettyBest2: Dom**_ don't _ **play when she writes her bad guys. And yes, Ban did have to provoke him. I don't think he had expected the man to send him through walls. I'm hoping you will love this chapter just as much! Thanks for the**_ well _ **wishes! I'm working really hard!**_

 **To everyone else, as always, this story means nothing without all of your support. Thank you. It means the world to me.**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: Paved With Good Intentions…**

"Your highness, Lady Merlin is here to see you…"

Arthur looked up bright-eyed yet curious at the attendant knocking at his study. The young king was more than thrilled to have the man invite her in, but had to admit he was curious as to why she was there. She had said the sins were going to be using the library for some time and looking out the window, he could see that it was only late afternoon…

The attendant left and returned quickly, waving in the tall sultry mage with his hand before closing the door securely behind him to ensure their privacy. She approached unceremoniously as she was known to do, but didn't seem herself. For anyone else, she would have looked thoughtful. Arthur knew her better than that. He had spent the better of the last ten years under her instruction, and that decade had been long enough for him to pick up on the subtle cues.

The way her mouth quirked downwards into the slightest hint of a frown, eyes that usually shone with mischief (most times at his expense) tinted a shade darker… something was troubling her.

"Merlin, were the sins able to find the information you were looking for?" he asked casually, pressing to open her up about whatever made her look so anxious. Some small part of him hoping that he could help them in any way.

Those golden eyes met his, and for a second it looked like she was trying to choose her words carefully before speaking, "Yes… but that isn't why I'm here. Arthur, would you mind too terribly if the sins stayed here at the castle for the night?"

Was this what she was so worried about?

A smile stretched across his face as he outstretched his arms as if to include the entire kingdom, "Of course! My home is your home! I will have separate bed chambers made for all of you!" Arthur's face fell a moment as he thought about the request, "May I ask what happened to your usual arrangement? The tavern?"

Merlin gave him a soft grin that seemed to hide some deeper meaning that Arthur couldn't guess at, "It's otherwise occupied for the evening. We'll only need two rooms. Please do not trouble yourself-"

Arthur cut her off with a wave of his hand and his usual smile, "Nonsense. I will make you all comfortable as my honored guests."

The raven-haired mage rolled her cat-like eyes and turned on her black thigh-high boots to leave and Arthur noted that she seemed more herself now. Perhaps she had been worried about their lodging for the night. It was then that Merlin turned and called over her shoulder with a wave before leaving the study, "Oh and, by the way, the library has a new entrance."

"A new… entrance?" Arthur asked to the emptiness that was left by the mage exiting.

* * *

Merlin walked thoughtfully down the long hallway leading away from Arthur's study and towards where she had left the others, listening to the sound that her heels made as she stepped on marbled floors. Those clacks allowed her a tempo at which to organize her thoughts, as there was PLENTY to consider.

First and foremost, the state of the grand library. She had done what she could with her magic, but even that was not enough to repair some of the damage that had been done. She would have to explain further to Arthur later… right now wasn't the time to bring up THAT point to the young king.

But, it **_was_** time for her to consider it for herself…

Despite her many warnings, the captain of the sins had lost control… luckily for them it was in reaction to Ban. She wasn't sure anyone else could have survived that blow. But it begged the question: who would be next? Who would be unfortunate enough to light his short fuse?

Ban's point had been fair. All of the sins, including herself – believe it or not, wanted the princess to remember her past. The princess was a valued member of their group – a friend. The only one who could keep them from dying at any given point. She had been instrumental in the fight against not only the wayward Holy Knights but the Ten Commandments as well.

It wasn't as if the mage didn't understand why the captain wanted to let her remember on her own… She had been there when they had tried to force her the first time… an experiment that had ended in utter failure… But in light of their current predicament, they were running out of options.

Their captain was losing his ability to remain in control of his powers and their newest foes were that of the legendary Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

"One problem at a time, Merlin…" she whispered to herself, feeling the weight of the situation sitting on top of her.

The first problem, being their ever unstable captain. She needed a way to bring him to his senses when he inevitably lost his control again, as it seemed they were beyond the point of reversing it. There was only one person who could go toe to toe with the captain at his highest power.

Merlin paused at a window, pulling a slip of parchment from the inside of her coat. With a few swishes of her fingers, the magic note was sealed before she blew it out the window much like one would blow a kiss. They weren't supposed to meet with him till later… but something told her that they would be needing his strength soon.

That was one solution in place at least…

Continuing down the hall, she didn't have much time to consider the other two issues at hand, Elizabeth's memories and the foes they faced, as she was abruptly greeted by her comrades wandering the halls aimlessly.

"I told you she went this way…" Diane stuck her tongue out at Ban who rolled his eyes.

"Wonderful. I'm glad you're all here. I'll show you to the rooms Arthur has prepared."

* * *

Elizabeth stood in one of the most ornate rooms she had seen to date. If she thought the Gala's ballroom had been exquisitely decorated, the rooms were doubly so. The four post bed that sat in the middle of the room, centering the large windows, was almost too big. She thought for sure she would get lost in so much mattress! Who on earth even needed a bed that big?

The walls of the room were a bright pinkish orange that reminded her of springtime, and covered in floral paintings. There was a private fireplace, and dressing the mantle were gold plated urns and chalices shining brightly. It was a room fit for royalty!

But it was also lonely.

After being teleported to the castle without warning, Elizabeth, Diane, and Hawk were all told that everyone had been invited to stay in the castle for the night. It was such a strange and sudden invitation, though, and Elizabeth was having a hard time believing something wasn't wrong.

Everyone seemed so… anxious.

To top it all off, Sir Meliodas was nowhere to be found. When asked, everyone dodged her questions, saying that he was busy and would join them in the morning. What was he so busy with that he would be spending the night away from them all? Had they found something in the library during their research?

Standing at the windows, she looked out at the darkening world outside. She looked down to note the sprawling garden within her view. There was a thick hedge just below the window. It looked like a giant pillow the way it nestled against the castle wall. She tugged on what looked like a window handle, but the frame wouldn't budge, "I guess they keep the windows locked…" she whispered, turning away disappointed, having wanted some fresh air. Now that she thought about it, it was probably about time she made her way to meet the others for dinner.

Exiting her room, she looked down both sides of the hall, "Where did Merlin say to go?" She decided she would take the hall to the left, following it to its end before coming on to another set of hallways. Had they walked down this many halls on the way to her room? Where was a map when you needed one?

With a sigh, she continued walking, taking turns and following halls until she thought that she had covered the entire floor for sure. She was just about to give up (noting with disdain that she had no idea how to get back to her room even if she had), when she heard someone yell in a room down the hall.

"What the fuck is he thinking?!"

Elizabeth perked up immediately, recognizing the foul-mouthed voice of the fox sin. She rushed to the door with a relieved smile, elated to have found her friends.

"Ban, keep it down! You'll bother anyone else on the floor!" Diane hushed quickly.

"No one is arguing with you, Ban," Merlin was the next to speak. Her voice sounded closer to the door. "Never did any of us believe it would come to this."

Elizabeth stopped just short of pulling on the door's handle. What were they talking about? It sounded like a very heated conversation. Or… at least, Sir Ban was heated.

"I can't fucking believe he's acting like this!" Ban groaned out, sounding completely and utterly frustrated, before kicking something that crashed loudly into a wall opposite of the door. Elizabeth refrained from 'eeping' as she flinched in her surprise. He? Who was Sir Ban speaking about?

"Can we please refrain from causing any more damage to the castle than we already have today?" Merlin sighed almost under her breath.

"I'm sure the captain has his reasons. I mean this IS Elizabeth we're talking about," Diane protested, sounding a little less sure of the statement than she probably intended to.

Peering inside, she could see each of their faces. Like they all had gotten news they were not happy with. Ban looking angrier than she had ever seen him before. Merlin, who usually pulled off a calm façade no matter what she was presented with, now sported a look of annoyance. Diane sat in a nearby chair, legs pulled up to her chest with a dejected expression. Hawk laid unusually quiet on the floor next to Diane's chair, his ears flat against his head, looking almost as miserable as the shrunken giantess.

 _They're all talking about Sir Meliodas… and me… What happened? Was he upset about something?_

"Elizabeth?"

The silverette jumped, covering her mouth before she could make a sound that would let anyone know she had been eavesdropping. Flinging around, she was greeted by King, watching her curiously with his pillow tucked securely under his arm. "Oh… uh -Sir King! I didn't see you there!" she stammered softly, righting herself as his curious looked shifted to a knowing smile.

"What are you doing just standing outside the door?"

"Outside? Oh… well… I just got here, but I'm starting to think that I'm not very hungry," she gave him a smile, and he looked like he wasn't buying it, but he didn't press her further.

"Do you want me to walk you back to your room then?" he asked rather kindly, and she nodded her appreciation as he waved her in the direction he must have just come from.

The route he took her down led them down the opposite direction she had taken the first time getting around, making her feel rather silly. Had she taken the right, she would have found them all a lot sooner. The walk had been quiet, even more so as they wandered away from the room that their friends occupied. The quiet only served to let her mind linger on the things that had been said.

"Sir King? Where is Sir Meliodas?"

The fairy did not falter as he continued showing her to her room, "He's busy tonight-"

"I don't think that's true," she interrupted quickly and evenly, before she stopped walking and watched him turn around to look at her surprised. "Something happened, didn't it?" she asked again, feeling her heart beat slow as images of him being hurt flashed in her mind.

King frowned, watching her carefully before relenting, "The captain is back at the tavern. He wanted to be alone for the night," he said, continuing to lead her down the hall, he hadn't answered her completely, but it felt like the closest thing to the truth that she had gotten all afternoon.

 _That's why we must have been teleported here…_

Elizabeth thanked him just as he reached her room, "Are you sure you're not hungry?" he asked, and she shook her head, "No, it's alright. I'd like to get some rest. Thank you for showing me back."

With that, King bid her a good night, and she closed her door. Leaning against the wood, eyes cast to the ground.

There was a part of her that was upset. Upset that they were not being honest with her, constantly hiding things from her, even going as far as to lie to her… There was another part of her that was worried. People usually lied for good reasons as well as bad, right? They wouldn't hide it if they didn't think Meliodas would be okay, right? But why had they been talking about her? What had she done to make Sir Meliodas upset enough to upset the others?

Pushing off of the door, Elizabeth was just about to enter the bathroom when she noticed something on the bed that hadn't been there before. A small parcel with a folded note sitting on top.

The note was scribed with neat handwriting, "Elizabeth, my apologies for not thinking to have you pack for an over-night stay. Please accept this. You'll find that its far more comfortable than what you're used to. Signed… Merlin…" Elizabeth read aloud, turning to examine the package with curious eyes as she abandoned the note on the bed.

She lifted the package cover only to replace it almost as quickly. She shouldn't have been so surprised, considering the dress the mage had made her wear to the Gala… but this was…

Elizabeth lifted the lid again, shyly taking in the shiny dark blue silken material and tiny straps. Looping her fingers around the straps, she lifted the nightgown out of the box, hoping that the dress would unfurl longer than it had, but at least it would reach her knees… which was more than she could say for her usual attire. As she pulled the silk night gown completely out of the box, something else fell out and on to the floor, making Elizabeth flare a bright red when she reached to pick it up. In her hand was a lacy pair of underwear that was just a shade darker blue than the silk gown in her hands.

 _Why is Merlin giving me lingerie?! Why on earth would I wear this anyways?!_

Glancing down at her uniform, resolving to wear IT to bed, she noted with disdain how dirty it was from cleaning the tavern all morning. She really needed a bath… and if she was going to wash up, she really needed something clean to wear.

With a resigned sigh, Elizabeth took the nightgown and underwear with her into the bathroom to change into after her bath. It wasn't like anyone else was going to see her in it…

The bath had been just as luxurious as the room itself, in a big ornate claw-foot tub that practically allowed her to swim in it. Refreshed, cleaned and with towel wrapped around her, she glared at the nightgown's thin fabric like it might jump up and bite her at any moment before first grabbing the lacy underwear and pulling them up to rest on her butt. Examining herself in the mirror, she almost felt dirty… the lower decorated hem of the underwear didn't even cover her entire cheek, instead arching up to reveal the curve of where butt met thigh. On top of that, they were see-through! How were these practical at all?

Next was the nightgown. Elizabeth dropped her towel, drawing the silk over her naked body and shivering as the initially cold material clung to her. She didn't even give herself a chance to look into the mirror, resolving to just go to bed.

She left the bathroom in a soft run, jumping like a child and sprawling over the mattress, allowing its softness to engulf her. It was like she was hugging a giant pillow the way it accepted her into its folds.

The room was quiet for some time as she laid there face down on the mattress, listening to the ringing that began in her ears at the presence of no sound at all. She was just starting to regret not joining the others for dinner. Her stomach was twisting and turning…

No, this wasn't hunger. This was worry. Despite having tried her best, Elizabeth couldn't get the other's words out of her head. For some reason, Meliodas was spending the night alone at the Tavern… and it had something to do with her. Had she done something to anger him? The only thing she could think of… her comment about spending time with Ban? Sir Ban had said that Sir Meliodas had given a look after she left… and he had seemed especially daring when she walked in on him in the bath…

Elizabeth pushed herself up on to her hands, staring down worriedly at the duvet cover. If he was angry at her… she wasn't sure what she would do…

"I have to go talk to him…" she whispered, first looking at the door, but then shaking her head. She knew there was no way any of the others were going to let her leave. They had made that clear in the way they tried to hide what was going on… No, she would have to sneak out somehow…

Pushing herself off the bed completely, Elizabeth rushed to the window and pulled on the window's handle like she had earlier. Perhaps if she pulled hard enough, she could dislodge it? With little force, the window swung open easily, making Elizabeth stumble back.

"I thought this was locked, earlier… strange… I must not have pulled hard enough." She mumbled, before climbing on to the window's ledge.

Luckily for her, the rooms they occupied were only on the second floor of the grand Camelot castle, though a jump from this height was still guaranteed to do some harm. The nearest ledge to a balcony was a solid ten feet away.

"Now what?" she asked the night air as she considered her next move. It was not like she had ever tried to run away before, and this whole scaling the castle thing looked a lot harder for her than what the sins seemed capable of. She didn't have to think on it long, though. Elizabeth had made a move to readjust her footing just as a strong gust of wind blew past, knocking her off balance and making her tumble forward off of the ledge. She didn't even have a chance to scream before she felt foliage catch her fall. The large hedge that rested below her window had saved her from a hard crash to the ground.

Elizabeth looked up at the open window to her room and thanked the goddesses that luck seemed to be on her side this night, before she climbed out of the foliage and made her way out of the castle grounds and back to the tavern in her bare feet and nightgown.

* * *

Meliodas had taken his time in the bath, making sure to drown his anger in the water. It had helped, but it certainly didn't extinguish the fire that had been lit inside him.

Now he lay across the bed in nothing but his trousers, a freedom he was not allowed very often. The quiet was a nice reprieve too. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy the company of his comrades… but the quiet allowed him to clear his mind and focus on the issue at hand. His powers growing unstable.

Easier said than done. He knew that initially, this had all started with the wounds caused by Atlas' scythe. How he was supposed to combat the effects of a weapon like that, there was no telling.

There was a light knock at the door suddenly breaking him from his thoughts, and he sat up fast, narrowing his eyes at the locked door. Everyone was back at the castle, who could this possibly be?

"Sir Meliodas? Are you in there?" Elizabeth's breathless voice filtered through, and his eyes widened. How had she managed to get back to the tavern? He was sure he made it clear that someone was to stay with her at all times, and he didn't feel any other presences in the Boar's Hat besides them. He growled under his breath, feeling that heat he had come to know as anger begin to boil just under his skin… someone was going to get it later.

"Sir King told me you had come back to the tavern… I wanted to check on you. Everyone was worried about you. They wouldn't say it, but… I could tell. I hope you're not upset with me for my behavior yesterday. I'm not sure what had come over me. I'm sorry for making you think I wanted to spend time with Sir Ban alone…"

He shook his head with a grin. She thought he was serious about that? What the hell did Ban tell her to make her think THAT was the reason he locked himself in alone? He wanted to call out to her and reassure her that it wasn't her fault… it was his sudden lack of control that he was so upset about, but he found himself remaining quiet to listen to her soft voice. Feeling it wash over him like the most soothing of embraces. But he needed her to be on the other side of that door. Soothing or not, he didn't trust himself right now, and that door served as her protection and his cage.

Some cage… the damn thing would probably come off the hinges if he tapped it hard enough…

There was a silence for a moment, he guessed she was listening to the wood for any response, before there was a saddened sigh, "Look at me… talking to a door. I have no idea if you're actually here." She sighed again, "I guess I could wait outside to see if he'll come back."

Before he even realized he had stridden across the room; he was opening the door. The one thing that had kept her from him. The only thing protecting her, and he was willfully opening it. Because he couldn't stand the idea of her standing and waiting for him outside? Because he was worried she'd leave? Because… even after everything, there was no one on earth he would have rather seen.

She turned, mid-step down the stairs, surprised by his sudden appearance and he gave her a casual grin despite the mixed emotions he was just barely keeping hold of, "Hey, Elizabeth."

"S-Sir Meliodas! You were here the whole time?" Her cheeks flushed and she fidgeted on her feet, "D-Did you hear me just now?"

Thankfully, he had gotten really good at feigning innocence over his long life, as he hid his amusement (and other raging emotions) under a curious look while tilting his head, "Hear what? I just got out of the bath." He pointed to his – thankfully – still damp golden locks with a smile and this seemed to put her at ease. Probably answering her question of why he hadn't answered her calls at the door.

In the moment of awkward silence that passed over the silverette, he couldn't help his gaze flowing down her form then. She was in a pretty thin silken dress that flowed down to just above her knees, the small straps barely clinging to her shoulders. No shoes on her feet… How could anyone let her walk out of the castle in a night gown like this?

Fuck, who the hell let her walk out of the castle to begin with?! Did his orders mean anything to any one? Was no one concerned about the maniac they were hunting, or was it just him?

That same heat began to boil inside his body. His anger, his need, his baser instincts; all coming to a head. He clenched his teeth, without changing his expression. This was not the night for the goddesses to be testing his self-control…

Not here. Not with her.

He would not lose control again…

Elizabeth's eyes widened slightly as she took him in, forgetting her embarrassment as something like concern passed over her eyes, "Are your injuries still bothering you, Sir Meliodas?" she peered over his shoulder as if looking for any signs that his wounds had come back.

He hadn't even noticed the grimace that had formed on his face; quickly he shook the look away, "No. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. You really should head back to the castle with the others."

 _I'm sure by now at least_ _ **ONE**_ _of them has figured out you're missing_ … he thought angrily, making a mental note to hurt whoever decided it was okay to leave Elizabeth to her own devices. Though, as soon as he finished making that mental note, he shook the ever growing dark thoughts out of his head. This wasn't him… He was losing himself again to his own anger and it only seemed to be getting worse as his over-protective tendencies kicked in. He needed her to get away from him before he did something they would both regret.

"No, please, Sir Meliodas, don't send me away." She reached out for him, but he avoided her touch, instead reaching up to grab her shoulders – perhaps a little tighter than he had intended. Her skin was soft and warm under his grasp…

Goddesses he just wanted to run his tongue over it and bite… just to taste her and make her groan his name. He swallowed thickly as she gasped, breaking eye contact with him to peer down at his rough handling. Heat spread over him like someone had poured molten-lava into his veins as his resolve was beginning to melt away.

 ** _I HAVE to send her away…_**

But if he did that, he wouldn't get to feel her supple pink flesh under his fingertips.

 ** _She has to leave…_**

If she did, he wouldn't be able to breathe in the intoxicating aroma she emitted that made him tingle at the base of his spine in the most delicious way…

 ** _I can't keep her here…_**

But, if he did, he could thoroughly taste and bite every inch of her. He'd show her a side of him that wasn't so gentle, a side of him that wanted to see just how much this woman could take. A part of him that wanted to hear her beg…

He was arguing with a darker side of himself, and losing, shaking his head to get some semblance of clarity back.

"Elizabeth, it would be **_best_** for you to **_leave_** …" His voice was husky now – a warning bite to his words 'best' and 'leave'; he was losing himself faster than he could get back. He poured his wish for her to vacate in the way he grabbed her; with urgency… but his need for her… his desire for her to stay was in his dark green eyes. And they were begging her with everything he had.

"Please… let me help you…" she whispered softly, her voice wrapping around him like the sweetest wine. Intoxicating him; drowning out his senses and better judgement. His body burned in the lust taking hold of him, his mind swirled in a drunken fever. He couldn't stop himself anymore. His head was a fog of desire and want so thick the sharpest of knives couldn't have cut through it.

Meliodas lowered his head, his dark hungry eyes hooded by his hair. He allowed himself a grin then as the madness replaced sanity, "Help me, huh?" He dropped one arm to his side, while his grip loosened on her other shoulder. He brushed the length of her arm with his hand until he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the room, slamming the wooden door behind them.

He knew exactly how he wanted her to help him.

With a yelp, Meliodas threw her roughly up against the now closed door, claiming her lips violently as she opened them to cry out in the pain of his rough handling and he swallowed those cries. Surprised at first, Elizabeth quickly – much to his delight – melted into the aggressive lip lock as he dipped his tongue into her mouth.

The silverette put her hands on his bare chest and he was quick to grab her wrists and shove them up against the door on either side of her, this time eliciting a shocked intake of breath and heady moan. He gripped her wrists hard as he broke from devouring her mouth to kiss and bite down to her jaw, following the line to her throat where he sucked as hard as he could on her skin making the silverette gasp as he continued down. Once there, Meliodas bit hard into her tender shoulder, the moment his teeth clenched over her skin, she groaned out, her body erupting into a fit of bumps and her head falling back against the door. With a grin, he ran his tongue over the offended area, before repeating down her chest, leaving angry marks on her skin.

"S-Sir Mm-ah!"

Elizabeth was squirming and breathing heavy through groans and cries now, flushed a bright red – but not out of embarrassment. Meliodas allowed himself a moment to admire the heavy desire that had bloomed in her eyes as she watched him devour her, the expression spurring him on – driving him further into madness. He released her arms, allowing her to wrap them around his shoulders as he lifted her legs and had her wrap them around his waist, grabbing ample amounts of her ass in his hands as he shoved her back against the door again, pressing his already hard manhood against her.

His nails dragged over her rear and up her sides, pulling the silk nightgown up with them as he then yanked it over her head and threw it away without a second thought. Her bare breasts heaved in her excitement and he pounced, taking them in his palms and squeezing them, burying his face between them biting and sucking, trying to take them into his mouth all at once.

Elizabeth's usually soft and gentle hands turned rough, lacing her fingers through his hair and pulling with each nip he gave her. Using her back against the door, Elizabeth pushed against him hard enough to have them tumble backwards, crashing into the nearest piece of furniture. Knick-knacks and items sprawled to the floor as Meliodas took the hit with a low rumble in his throat.

He kissed her fiercely, one hand finding itself weaved tightly through her silver locks while the other dragged sharp nails down her spine. Elizabeth's legs loosened their hold on his hips, and she slid down him slightly, held up only by her arms wrapped around his neck and hands in his hair.

He pushed them off of whatever they had crashed into, leading them to the bed. He pulled her off of him, and flipped her over so that she was draped over the mattress and he was pressed firmly against her, bending over her ass to bite her shoulder blades and back. "Ahhh!" she cried out, arching her butt that much further into his groin. She gripped the blanket hard on either side of her as he grinded himself against her moistened lace panties. It was a shame that she was wearing such nice underwear… he wasn't exactly in the mood to be delayed of what he wanted.

Elizabeth sucked air in through her teeth as Meliodas dug his fingers in a hard grasp of her round globes, sliding his hands back up her body with one grasping the band of her panties while the other pinned her against the sheets. Licking up from the dip in her lower back, breathing in her sweet and lustful scent, the raging demon ripped the innocent fabric from his prey just as he sunk his teeth in deep at the junction of her neck and shoulder. A small trail of blood running from where his canines had managed to puncture her tender skin, but a swipe of his tongue removed most of the running substance.

"MEL~" Propping a knee between her thighs Meliodas pushed a finger into her slick folds, a moaned growl of his vibrating the flesh just under Elizabeth's ear, eliciting a yelp and whimper from the trapped silverette. Her back and ass arching up around from where he held her in place, hands clawing at the sheets, as the strange feeling of his seeking finger eased to tolerable inside her.

A small part of him remembering this was her first time forced his unstable side to find that bundle of nerves hidden within his woman. Pulling his middle finger back out enough to add his ring finger and plunge them back in, simultaneously moving his free hand to grab her left thigh and drape her leg over the right side of his neck to hold her in position, stretching her in more ways than one as she cried out broken syllables of his name in surprise and ecstasy.

Curling his fingers of his left hand he finally hit the nerves within her and watched hungrily as she did her best to arch, crying out broken syllables of his name, pulling him closer with her shouldered knee, a long wail leaving her as her walls spasmed against his fingers. A slick sensation causing his hand to tingle and a blonde brow to quirk with a devilish smile, pulling his fingers out and up to his lips Meliodas nipped the thigh against his cheek to gain her attention as he slowly slid his tongue over the coated digits, "Oh Elizabeth," he purred as he gave her that devilish look and licked his lips, "You are exquisite."

His black eyes darkening as Elizabeth's did, a moan echoing from his chest as her hands went for the fastening of his trousers. Shyer fingers dipping under the waist of his pants while she unbuttoned and unzipped them fluidly, never breaking eye contact as he lowered himself over her, forcing her to roll over on to her back.

The moment she pulled for his pants to fall away, was the moment he dove in, raking his nails up her sides and the thigh on his right shoulder, before Meliodas reached for her breasts. Biting and licking his way up her lithe body, ravenous for the sounds that were pooling out of her mouth and the way her hips ground up to his as his freed manhood thrumming against her. A continuous growl shaking his chest as he breathed in her arousal and felt himself losing all sense.

His hips were lined up with hers, and despite how fast and rough he had been up to this point, he entered her slowly – savoring each agonizing moment, holding on to her draped leg as if it were his only anchor. Watching with slack jaw in a silent groan as her body swallowed him. Elizabeth's head fell back, eyes fluttering as she her mouth fell open at the new sensation filling her.

"Oooohh…. Me-Meliodas…" she sighed in pure bliss then bit her lip, trying to keep all of those delicious sounds from escaping her.

The blonde's black eyes flicked to her face and watched the pleasure play over her expressions, completely entranced by her. "Say it again…" he breathed, feeling the amazing tightness around him.

Clouded blue eyes found him and she faltered a few heartbeats and breaths, "Meliod-AS!" she cried the end of his name as he had pulled back then filled her again.

He leaned further over her, pressing her raised leg closer to her chest, "Say it again…" he repeated in a hushed tone, already in the upswing of a thrust. He was enthralled by the sound of his name in her voice as he ravaged her.

"Meliodas!" She groaned again as he buried himself in her once more. This time, he didn't stop. He couldn't, even if he wanted to. His hips worked up into a steady rhythm that had them both teetering on the edge, "Say it again," he voiced through each thrust.

Her hands weaved up around his neck, pulling him closer to her as he continued to drive into her, "Meliodas..." she moaned softly before capturing his lips. She continued to whimper into the kiss as he kept his pace and he swallowed them all like the most delicious of sweets. He allowed her leg to slip from his shoulder as his forearms found purchase on the bed, "Elizabeth…" he breathed against her lips, returning her lustful calls. He kissed her again as his thrusts grew erratic. He could feel her tightening up around him, and he could see their shared climax fast approaching.

He felt her spasms, and he pulled from their intense kiss to watch her unravel beneath him, her hands grabbing his shoulders tight to keep herself grounded through what looked like one hell of an orgasm.

Meliodas found his release watching her writhe in pleasure, every muscle constricting as his body hit its peak and took the long plunge into ecstasy.

The room went silent except for their shared pants. The heavy lustful atmosphere gone.

The blonde stilled with eyes closed, breathless and spent, feeling the exhaustion overpowering his body in a way he hadn't felt in a long time. A kind of peaceful tiredness that beckoned and promised of restful sleep, seeping heavily through his limbs. Slowly opening his eyes revealed bright green – shining emeralds clear of the darkness that had plagued them before. Though clear now, a deep worry etched over his features as his eyes cascaded down the beautiful mess of a woman lying beneath him.

Elizabeth was still, eyes closed and silver hair tussled and thrown around her and stuck to her face. The only movement of her body coming from her heavy breaths - signaling her own fatigue. Her body covered in the proof of their (not so gentle) love making.

Despite the brutality of how he'd marked her, she was still as lovely as ever. A beauty that he was committing to memory with the sensations of her body against his, as he was sure she would never want to be touched by him again… and he wouldn't blame her. Not after the battle she had just waged with one of the most carnal parts of him.

His hand came up to brush away silver strands plastered to her stunning face then conform to the shape of her cheek, seeking to memorize the warmth they held before he would have to inevitably let go, "Elizabeth… I'm so-"

In her sleep, Elizabeth's hand came to rest on top of his - effectively silencing him mid apology, then nuzzled into his hand with a content grin on her lips as if to tell him everything was alright.

That simple gesture was enough to right his entire world…

Just when he thought he had gone back to his old ways, she had showed up at his door and wrestled with the demon he had let slip through the cracks. Now, everything was quiet again. No need for violence, no more cries for blood. She had managed to silence it all. And now she was reassuring him in her sleep?

"Unbelievable," he whispered with a soft chuckle, staring at her mystified, before leaning down to kiss her lips as softly as he could, as if she would melt away in front of him.


	19. Chapter 16: The Problem With Memories

**HEY GUYS!**

 **I"M BAAACCCKKK! And I'm so thankful to all of you who have been amazingly supportive of me and this story! Last week's midterms were really stressful, and it took everything I had not to write everyday. SOOOOO... as a reward, I'm giving you guys this EXTRA LONG CHAPTER! Without all my A/N nonsense, it's 8500 words, so I hope you enjoy! ALSO, because you guys were extra nice to me and gave me the most reviews to date on the last two chapters, I'm giving you guys a special sneak peak at the end! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!**

 **REVIEW TIME:**

 _ **Guest: I don't think her personality will change when she gets her memories back. But we shall see!**_

 _ **SweetSerenade5281: ELIZABETH IS ALWAYS THE ANSWER. I like that. You are right. Keep saying that. Thank you so much! I will do my best!**_

 _ **Kayla Panek: Get a chance to reread that chapter? hehehe... I'm glad I've left you speachless.**_

 _ **Kairi Asakura: Nope, no aphrodisiacs needed here. And you'll likely find that our mage had less to do with this than you think!**_

 _ **NinjaKittinz: I'm glad you enjoyed it! I love me some sour lemon. MAYHAPS she will remember something soon? Mayhaps, she wont!**_

 _ **muggleblue: WELCOME! Perhaps you shouldn't read ahead... lol... No, you should definitely read ahead. Because reasons. I'm beyond glad that our stories make your day! That's what every writer wants to hear.**_

 _ **LUV: I'm glad you liked that chapter so much... even the naughtier bits. You know you did. Just remember that King and Diane's time will come!**_

 _ **Lickitysplit: THANKYOU! I was honestly very concerned about where I had taken the scene... but I was still proud of it. It makes me very proud to hear you say such amazing things about my writing and story. Seriously. Thank you! (Go read their story if you haven't! It's amazing!)**_

 _ **BettyBest2: SOOOO GLAD you enjoyed! I was waiting for your review to pop up. I really wanted to see what you had to say about this little bit.**_

 _ **Lick: I aim to please... and sometimes pleasing comes with a little pain in the mix! I need not tell you of how my love belongs to you. As you know that I ache for you at every mere glimpse I get of your beauty...**_

 _ **smjieg: YAY! I made you blush! I'm so happy that you love this story so much! Thanks for the midterm support!**_

 _ **Jenarla xXx: MAYHAPS She will be the one to face off with Atlas! OR perhaps everything will come to a head in a massive explosive battle! ALL HANDS ON DECK! (ALSO another fantastic writer - go read her stuff too!)**_

 _ **Jillian Tealleaf: TOLD YA SO! I'm so glad you like the emotions I portray, and how I do it! SERIOUSLY! I'm wearing your review like a badge of honor too! You may be right about who we sent that little love note to... And he'll be coming in a big way here shortly!**_

 _ **Stormie: Dom don't play. lol I'm so glad I could surprise you at least a little! hahaha**_

 **For everyone else sending love in the form of favs, follows and reads, THANK YOU! You are my life blood! This story is nothing without you, so thank you so much!**

 **LAST THING I PROMISE: If you LOVE Lemon, and you wanna read something really fun and juicy, hop on over to DoubleLSD and the first colab story "In the Name of Education" between me, Rainstorm2120, Seriphia, and fanficluv2016! It's amazing, so go read! The second chapter will be out soon for that!**

 **I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!**

* * *

 **Chapter 16: The Problem with Memories**

"SHE'S GONE!"

Merlin's eyes snapped open before the giantess was even half way down the hall. The mage narrowed her eyes on the door waiting for Diane to come bursting into her barrowed room, having heard her but not believing she had heard correctly. Perhaps it had been a dream. Some part of her conscious that was fearful of what would happen should the shrunken giantess come running in screaming those words.

SURELY, that's what was going on here…

As if the universe and goddesses were answering her internal thoughts with a sneer and shake of their head, the serpent sin of envy came barreling through her door, nearly knocking it down with her giant's strength, screaming again, "MERLIN! ELIZABETH IS GONE!"

No. She refused to believe it. This was a nightmare or someone was playing a very cruel joke on her. She was the only one with an inkling of an idea of all of the pieces on the board. She was the one who was making sure they had plans when their captain decided to snap. They all knew better than to fuck with her… so why did they insist on playing this little game?

The mage took a deep breath, before throwing her legs over the side of her bed and gave Diane what must have looked like quite the sinister glare, as the giantess flinched back a little, "That is simply not possible. The only reason I didn't have all of the ladies sleeping in the same room was because I had taken measures to ensure Elizabeth could not leave. Forcefully OR of her own accord."

Diane stuttered under Merlin's intense glare as trotting quickly approached. Finally, someone who she could trust to tell her the truth… The raven haired mage held Diane in her sights until Hawk came skidding around the corner out of breath, but immediately shrunk back at her expression. Seeming almost too scared to speak.

"M-M-Merlin… Elizabeth is missing!" the little pig squealed in dismay, confirming her worst fears.

With a long sigh, the mage stood from her bed, snapping as she did so that her usual attire was in place and shoes appeared on her feet, and walked between the two trembling in her wake, hearing but not caring as they exchanged comments about how scary she looked this morning.

"You think I'm scary? Just wait until we get to the tavern to inform the captain that our dear princess has somehow managed to slip through our grasp…" she announced, already calculating the possibilities of Elizabeth's escape or kidnap, and the damage that would come to the city when their dear captain found out.

She could practically hear them gulp behind her as they too realized the massive amount of trouble they were in.

* * *

Sun streamed in through the open curtains, rousing the blonde sin in the most peaceful of ways. His eyes fluttered open to his view of the bright world outside. Blue skies, birds singing their happy little morning tunes. It was a gorgeous day.

And that had been one hell of a dream.

Meliodas smiled contentedly as a bird landed on the window sill and chirped brightly as if to say good morning, before flitting off into the wild crystal blue sky.

As content as he was, he was disappointed. A dream like that only came once every blue moon, and surely there was no way he could possibly top it in reality.

A soft sigh from his right had his brows furrow his confusion before bright green eyes went wide and he turned his head quickly. There was no way. He was still sleeping, he had to be…

There she was, lying on her side facing him, breathing softly in her sleep. Elizabeth looked like the epitome of his wildest fantasies. Covers and silver hair strewn about her, just barely covering her naked form. Goddesses, she was still naked… and what a glorious sight that was.

His fingers twitched with a need to just grab every bit of her, but he refrained, not wanting to disturb her restful sleep. If he could, he would make it so she slept this soundly every night. Speaking of which, he had slept pretty soundly too. And to make it better, they had gone the night without prying eyes – a huge plus in his book.

Meliodas looked up with a hum as he felt the air change and a growing devious grin formed on his face.

 _It was about time…_

In a quick motion the blonde smoothed the blankets over Elizabeth, covering her completely – head and all. A few choice movements, propping himself next to her and it didn't look like there was anyone else in the bed but him. _The stage was set…_

Not even a heartbeat later, he heard the door of the tavern crash open and multiple footsteps (and hooves) climbed the stairs in urgency. Urgency that would have been too late had the silverette been anywhere but right there with him…

"CAPTAIN!" Diane was the first to throw open the bedroom door, the wood banging loudly against the wall it hit, and crying out in alarm, "We have a huge problem! Elizabeth has gone missing! We can't find her anywhere!"

King, Ban, Merlin, Hawk and Gowther all filtered in after her in that order, standing like a crowd taking him in bare-chested on the bed – arms propped behind his head non-chalantly, watching him carefully like he might explode at any moment. Good. He'd give them a scare for failing so miserably.

 _SHOW TIME…_

Meliodas' voice came out in the darkest tone he could muster considering the completely fantastic mood and spirits he was in, "She's what?! How the hell did this happen?!"

The pig, fairy, and giantess flinched, while the mage and undead man braced themselves in case of emergency. Gowther seemed particularly interested in something on the floor and not so much his outburst.

"W-We don't know! We went to check on her this morning, and she was just gone! She must have been taken out the window!"

The blonde glared at them without moving. If he did, it would be obvious that there was someone else in his bed and he wasn't ready to let them off the hook yet. This was too good to pass up, "I told you to not let her out of your sight! Why was she alone in a room where she could have been taken?!"

Everyone seemed tense, except for Gowther of course… and Merlin seemed to be giving him a speculative look. Probably the only one wondering why he hadn't shot up yet to kill them or find the missing princess. She was perceptive like that.

"Captain? Was there an altercation here?" the pinkette finally spoke up breaking the heavy tension and Meliodas had to press his lips in a tight line so that he wouldn't blow his cover with his laughter. He had forgotten about the mess they had made last night…

There was a soft hum under the blankets and suddenly the room went dead silent. The blonde's pressed lips began to turn up at the corners making him look so devious that the others thought he might have actually lost it, but their wide eyes and confusion was focused on the rustling covers next to him.

Two arms stretched out from where she hid before slowly folding down the cover with half-dazed blue eyes resting on his form. Apparently she had forgotten she was naked too, because if she folded the covers any lower, the others would have gotten more than an eyeful of her breasts.

Meliodas shot Elizabeth a crooked smile before his eyes darted up to their – stunned didn't even begin to describe what they looked like – guests, alerting the unsuspecting woman to their presences too. Her eyes followed his and she 'eeped' loudly, pulling the blankets up until it covered everything but her eyes which were wide. It reminded him of a child stealing from the cookie jar…

"Oh, I see, so was it Elizabeth that the captain had an altercation with?"

The silence stretched on. Each of them sporting their own unique look of complete and utter shock.

The silverette shifted embarrassed under the cover, growing more painfully aware that she was naked by the minute, and Meliodas couldn't stand by and allow that. It wasn't her that deserved to suffer for this. He passed her the shirt that was conveniently hanging on the headboard, "Go on and get dressed," he pressed and she nodded, wrapping the blanket around her tightly and scurrying to the bathroom with eyes cast intently on the floor and face the shade of the darkest of apples. For a moment, Meliodas had to force himself to keep from pulling the blanket from her to see if that flush went any further south…

The blonde was left with the sheet to cover himself, but even with it, it was obvious that he was naked too, and he was not ashamed at all. He laid back looking as innocent and bare as the day he was born, a happy smile on his face, and King covered Diane's eyes.

"No fuckin way… you sly bastard!" Ban laughed heartily, having followed the bundle of blanket with his eyes and swung back the moment the silverette had disappeared. All of his rage from the day before was long forgotten, especially now, given the awkward circumstances.

Merlin had her hand strategically placed in front of her mouth, looking a mixture of amused and half tempted to haul off on his ass. The second being a MUCH scarier prospect. That mage was cruel mistress when she was pissed… Something told him he should probably refrain from drinking anything she handed to him personally for a while.

Diane and king both sported about the same shade of red that Elizabeth had been wearing, somewhere between candy apple and crimson. Sputtering their own brand of nonsense as they tried to add everything up.

Gowther had pressed a thoughtful finger to his chin, "Do people usually become undressed if they are fighting?" in response Ban bellowed out a laugh as the entire picture started to come together with the inclusion of the strewn items over the floor and the suspiciously empty dresser top, "They weren't fighting dumbass!" but Ban's interjection only seemed to puzzle the goat sin that much more. Ironic considering that he bore the sin of lust.

Hawk seemed a husk of himself. An empty shell, shocked beyond belief. A single poke and the swine would topple over like dried jerky.

"Now then, would someone like to explain to me how a woman with no memories of being able to use magic managed to escape five members of the Seven Deadly Sins?" All joking aside, the sins were back to completely silent. _Yeah, that's right… I haven't forgotten about that…_

"WAIT, doesn't this mean that you kidnapped Elizabeth?!" Diane pointed accusingly, face still beet red, prying King's finger's open so that she could glare at the captain.

Meliodas gave a feigned curious look that passed over to Merlin who looked on crossly. He didn't need to defend himself, "Yeah, Merlin, could I have been the one?" he asked sarcastically, and he could tell the mage was silently cursing him.

"No. The incantation would have kept the captain from getting anywhere close to Elizabeth. I specifically made sure of that," she snapped, "Meaning that someone managed to break my seal. A feat not easily done."

"Who was the last of you to see her?"

"Merlin dropped her off in her room, and then we were all together for a while – well except - " Diane had begun to run the night through her head when suddenly realization hit her and she glanced wide eyed at her side.

King's face paled from his crimson in record speed, and the captain narrowed his eyes on him, "W-well… I-I walked her back to her room, but everything was fine!" he stammered nervously.

Meliodas jumped up and was in his face in a flash, standing with sheet wrapped securely around his waist – a skill in itself. Everyone braced themselves nervously, but faltered when they saw the blonde flick the fairy in the forehead. The look of dread on King's face had been worth it. "Obviously it wasn't," the blonde answered with a frown.

"What the fuck?! You send me through fucking walls but he gets a flick on the head, that don't even seem right!" Ban yelled, aggravated, probably hoping to see the captain of the sins beat the living shit out of someone else for a change. Meliodas ignored him, falling back to the bed cross-legged with a thoughtful expression of his own.

Between the time that Merlin had left her, and King had brought her back to her room… the seal on the room had been broken and she had made her way back to the tavern… Either she had unconsciously managed to break the seal on her own, or someone was playing devil's advocate. But, for the life of him… he couldn't figure out why.

* * *

Elizabeth had leaned against the bathroom door the moment that it had clicked shut behind her, eyes staring intently at the floor. She was hugging the blanket around her so tight that she was probably cutting off circulation to something, her face and body burning.

She had woken up next to the captain of the sins… and all of the memories of the night before poured over her like hot wax. She had slept with him… and more than that, she had made love to him. In the most painfully thrilling way she never thought to imagine. Imagine? She had never even DREAMED of sexual relations with him, but the moment hit and it had felt so unbelievably right… she couldn't even think to stop herself.

So why did it feel so unbelievably wrong now? **_Did_** it feel wrong? Was that the feeling in her stomach? She couldn't tell. Her heart was pounding so loud in her ears she couldn't hear herself breathing let alone her own thoughts.

Elizabeth's eyes flicked up to the mirror as something caught her attention and she had to do a double take.

After waking up from her memory loss, she constantly looked in the mirror and saw a stranger, and she hadn't quite gotten over that. But, now, she looked in her reflection and saw a completely new woman. Silver hair was tussled and teased and curling at the bottoms, skin flush and glowing. Eyes a little clearer. Somehow… she looked more confident. More… in tune with herself. Which was strange considering how not-in-tune she felt right now.

As her eyes continued to examine the new stranger in the mirror, her attention was immediately drawn to the thing that had caught her attention the first time. Pulling her untamed hair over one shoulder, Elizabeth gasped at the large angry purple bruise that marred the junction between her shoulder and neck, and the dark red spots trailing down her chest. Fingers brushed the spots and she couldn't help the shiver that ran through her as the sounds returned to her ears, images of him ravaging her with hunger in his eyes. She swallowed thickly thinking about how completely he had wanted her. It was a consuming lust that had struck her full force and she had loved every minute of it.

Ban's raucous laughter permeated the door and Elizabeth was brought out of her fantasy and immediately reminded that they had all seen her… Goddesses! What were they going to think?! She hadn't meant for this to happen! She had come back to apologize for making him angry… but then one thing led to another…

Elizabeth's groan of frustration was muffled by the blanket she brought to cover her mouth. She was a ball of mixed feelings wound up so tight that even the slightest provocation could make her burst. And that next hit came in the form of realization… that she would have to go back out there because all she had to get dressed was Meliodas' white shirt. Could this get any more humiliating?

The bathroom door slowly opened a fraction of an inch as Elizabeth peered out into the room and a sense of relief flood her as she realized that the bedroom was now vacant. She would be able to dress in private. Leaving the bathroom, she scurried across the room towards the dresser, hoping that her uniform would cover all of the spots on her skin, when her eyes fell on the disheveled sheets of the bed and the silverette paused in her confusion.

It wasn't very large, but there was a red stain on the bed, and the brighter hue of it suggested that it wasn't very old. Perhaps not even a full day. Elizabeth stared down at the stain with concern etched into her face. Had Meliodas' wounds reopened when they were in the thralls of passion? Had she hurt him somehow? Peering over herself, she couldn't feel any injuries – so it couldn't possibly be hers.

"Are you alright?"

Elizabeth spun around spooked by the sudden sultry voice, but breathed a sigh when she saw Merlin standing in the door looking in with curious eyes and easy posture – ever the portrayal of confidence. The silverette turned back to the red stain while chewing on the inside of her cheek, "Yes… It's just that… there's blood on the sheet. I don't think it was there before."

The mage approached her with a soft look that spoke volumes of her concern for her, "Yes, dear, it's yours," she pressed lightly.

Elizabeth's brow furrowed on her, "How can that be? I'm not-" she paused widening her eyes to enunciate her position, not really wanting to talk about the finer points of womanly functions. But that's when it hit her. And it hit her smack in the face like a ton of bricks. She gasped as Merlin's point finally settled over her, and feeling – not for the first time – utterly overwhelmed.

She had never given thought to it since losing her memories. It wasn't exactly something that came up in everyday conversation. Something that hadn't occurred to her, until it was staring her in the face. She had been a virgin… and now, she was not.

A mixture of feelings overcame her then. Part of her, the part that hadn't cared to begin with was… proud. In many circles, this was a coming of age. She felt, perhaps a little wiser. Like the veil had been lifted from her eyes. And it had been with someone like Sir Meliodas…

Then there was a part of her that was mortified. Had she been saving herself? Most women did; for the man they planned to marry. Was she okay that she had so willingly given herself to the captain of the seven deadly sins?

Well, yes and no. She could feel something for the man… there was certainly SOMETHING there. But, she felt guilty all the same. Her fingers reached to trace the ring on her finger instinctively only to remember with a start that it wasn't there. She had traded it for Sir Meliodas' recovery…

The mage had remained quiet while Elizabeth processed everything, and now that the silverette turned to her, she didn't really know what to say. She wasn't alright. She felt so conflicted that it made her want to scream. Thankfully, the mage gave her something else to think about, "That's quite the little trophy you've acquired there..."

"Trophy?" Elizabeth's finger's instinctively went to touch the bruise that had formed over her shoulder and as sensations filled her senses again she flared a bright red. "I… wouldn't usually consider this kind of thing a trophy…" she murmured, feeling his mouth on her again, before shaking her head to clear it – this was not the time to be thinking of such things. Though… the memories did leave a strange feeling of longing in the bottom of her stomach.

"Well if the memories bother you, I can always have Gowther take care of them…" Merlin mused, correctly deducing that it was the memories that were making her look like a tomato ripe for picking.

Elizabeth chuckled with her cheeks still burning, "Oh! N-no… it's alright. I… don't mind. Besides, I'm not so keen on spending such quality time with Sir Gowther," she had lifted her brows as if the point was obvious.

"And why is that?" the mage asked, ever so interestedly.

"Well, because… I..." Elizabeth's face fell as the answer suddenly eluded her and she blinked with a strange look of confusion on her face. Why was it that she had this feeling of unease with the pinkette? She hadn't spent a lot of time with him alone to have a reason for it, so why did she get a sense of apprehension at the idea of him? "I don't know," she finally answered, honestly, embarrassed by her own prejudices.

Merlin hummed curiously, her eyes contained a glint of something that Elizabeth could not decipher, "Strange that you would make that judgment despite not knowing him," though her words seemed critical, she kept her tone inquisitive.

"What do you mean?" Elizabeth pulled the cover tighter around her as her mind tried to grasp the meaning behind the mage's words – there had been something there. Some hint of sarcasm, or perhaps as if the mage thought it ironic? It was suddenly too quiet as the ravenette looked on her with what seemed like hidden knowledge. Something she wasn't saying at the surface of her eyes, as if she were practically handing it to her, daring her to figure it out.

Figure what out? Why was it strange for her to make this judgement without knowing the goat sin very well? Because people didn't typically do that. Not for someone they… didn't know…

She… couldn't possibly…

Elizabeth's blood started to rush by her ears as her heart thrummed heavily in her chest. The stroke of realization making her narrow her eyes on the mage that continued to watch her with a daring gleam, "Lady Merlin…. Are you implying that I knew Sir Gowther before I lost my memories?" she dared to ask, hoping that the words had actually come out, and not just imagined it.

There was a pause, and the mage grew a smile that felt like she was confirming her question without saying a word, "Is that what I'm implying?" She put a thoughtful finger to her chin and her voice sounded almost cynical, before she shifted on to her other foot taking on a softer look than before – as if a whole new personality stood before Elizabeth, "Gowther is dear to me, is all. I wouldn't want him upset over a misunderstanding,"

That was news to her, it was Elizabeth's understanding up to this point that Gowther didn't really have emotions. He never portrayed them at least. But, that didn't mean he didn't deserve the same kindness that was afforded to others. The silverette suddenly felt ashamed that she had been treating the Goat sin so differently and that shame showed in her downcast eyes. That quilt over-shadowing her suspicions of Merlin and Gowther knowing about her past for the moment. But only a moment. She was confused now, had the mage actually answered her question or not?

"Just consider it, Elizabeth," Merlin said, as if answering her thoughts now. Or was she still referring to Gowther's supposed emotions? What in the world was this woman getting at?

Before Elizabeth could ask, Merlin had turned on her heels and left, closing the door securely behind her. Leaving nothing but confusion and unanswered questions in her wake.

* * *

Merlin closed the door behind her with a solid click, then turned towards the stairs. So, the princess was not responding to mere mentions of knowing someone. Well, she supposed she already knew that. It had been nearly four weeks since her memory loss. If just mention was enough, she probably would have responded to seeing them day to day… or even their names. Meaning, this amnesia went deeper than that.

"That was rather manipulative of you. Playing into her kindness like that…"

Merlin froze in her tracks before she had even reached the first step, with a knowing grin slowly seeping over her lips. Of course he was there…

"Really? I thought it was rather clever," she grinned mischievously as she turned on her heels to see him leaning against the wall opposite of her, arms crossed over his chest – looking none too pleased.

Either she was going to win this out or she was going to regret it almost immediately… A bet she was willing to take considering the observations she had made upon first entering the tavern that morning. Unfortunately for the captain, she was an excellent judge of her surroundings at all times and was not opposed to taking advantage of opportunities when they arose.

 _I can see what you're trying to hide, dear captain… You will not win this time._

The captain's eyes narrowed on her, and she could feel her skin tingle in the excitement of him challenging her, "I thought you would be the last person I would have to remind about my stance on the subject," his tone dropped low, either to refrain from alerting the silverette just beyond the door to their conversation or in an attempt to threaten her… either way it got her blood rushing.

Her own cat like orbs softened on him, but not kindly. No, she was in no mood to be kind to this man right now. Instead her expression gave off an air of superiority, "Do not misunderstand, Captain. I am on your side. I understand it is your wish to protect that drives you," she took a breath as his brow rose to her words as if skeptical, "But, unlike you, I can consider what else is at stake here."

The blonde remained quiet as both brows now arched, shocked that she would be so blatant about her stance.

The mage crossed her own arms over her chest, feeling more confident by the second as her assumptions were slowly confirmed, "As sweet as it is, this idea of protecting her… it's a delusion. And I will not sit idly by as you risk the lives of countless others, in the hopes of protecting one."

 _Check… I have your king cornered, captain… now then, what will you do about it? Will you engage me or will you retreat?_

The stair-well was silent as the opposing forces faced off like unwavering stone. The tension in the air palpable, nearly as much so as it had been in the library when Ban had made his stance known. A sign that this had a possibility of going south really quick. That didn't matter though. The mage had no intention of losing.

As if someone had opened a window, the atmosphere cleared like a breath of fresh air as the captain suddenly shrugged with nonchalant expression on his face, "Fine."

The ravenette was far less surprised by the answer than most others would have been, "Fine?" she asked back, trying to gauge his seriousness. Though not surprised, she wasn't entirely sure he wasn't messing with her, either. He was known for doing that…

He shrugged again, as if saying he didn't care and a slight grin inched over his lips, "Yeah, fine. You've made your point, and I'll admit, it's fair. So, we'll give it a try."

And just like that, all of her suspicions had been confirmed. A sly smile ebbed over Merlin's face as she regarded him now, not content in just reveling in her victory, "Just like that?"

Meliodas smiled, but his eyes hardened on her seriously despite the easiness in his voice and posture, "Yup, just like that. But, if anything were to happen-"

"I would take precautions against such a thing."

"Good! Then we're in agreement?" he asked, propping his arms behind his head easily, and the mage nodded. The agreement being that no harm was to come to the princess or there would be hell to pay.

Merlin gave her captain a soft nod and descended the stairs. Excitement rising as she determined the best course of action.

It was hopeful to see that their captain could be reasoned with. But even more hopeful still was that he wasn't completely lost to them. His power was still unstable, but considerably less so since his outburst in the library. Merlin's conclusion, as she reached the bottom step and called for Gowther to join her: Elizabeth was their captain's only hope if he wanted to remain in control.

* * *

"You… think that you can… bring back my memories?" Elizabeth's head was tilted slightly and lips turned down in what looked like equal parts confusion and skepticism. Her question was directed at the mage and not Meliodas, though… interestingly enough, she seemed to be spending a lot of time purposefully not looking at him.

As soon as the silverette had dressed and made her appearance in the tavern, Meliodas and Merlin had intercepted her. They had sent everyone else but Gowther out for a while – to get remaining supplies as they intended to leave Camelot that day - in hopes that it would make Elizabeth more comfortable. Now she sat at one of the tables listening as they made their proposal, and even the captain of the sins had to admit… they sounded just the slightest bit crazy.

Meliodas was a wash of his own emotions. He still hated the idea of forcing Elizabeth to remember anything. She had forgotten for a reason. Hell, she was reminded of those memories of drowning every time she smelled lavender now (something he had figured out in the days after the bathtub incident – though it seemed like she didn't particularly notice herself). At the same time, he knew deep down that his comrades were right. A realization he had come to waking up next to her that morning. It was unfair of him to keep this from her – no matter how much he feared the outcome. He WANTED her to remember everything.

Especially now that she seemed to be avoiding eye contact with him and flushing like a mad woman when he caught her eyes. Did she even realize she was doing it?

"Yes, Gowther has been working on a spell that we believe will help open your mind and allow for your memories to flow freely," Merlin smiled on the silverette, and Meliodas couldn't help but see an evil glint there in her golden orbs… like the poor girl was her next test subject.

Well… technically, she was…

A conflicted expression passed over Elizabeth's face as she shifted nervously in her chair. Probably thinking what any other rational person would: 'If you could do it before, why didn't you tell me?' Or perhaps, 'I'm not sure I want someone poking around in my head'.

"Is… is it going to hurt?" the silverette asked softly, and Meliodas had to press his lips together to avoid the chuckle at threatened to escape him. No, of course that's what she would be most concerned about.

A reassuring hand came to rest on Elizabeth's shoulder and she looked up at him with wide eyes, "Nah, you won't feel a thing. I promise," he smiled cheerfully, but faltered slightly the moment she bit her lip and her eyes darted away from his. There! She did it again! Was she doing it on purpose?

Elizabeth sat quietly for a moment, contemplating something before resolve steeled in her eyes and she looked up determinedly at Merlin, "Alright! I'll do it!" she announced and Merlin broke out into a smile that lit up her face… like a child in a candy store. Perhaps the woman shouldn't look so happy about the whole thing… it was kinda creepy.

The mage had come to stand in front of her, making Elizabeth look up the towering woman in heels, "I'm going to be putting you under hypnotism, Elizabeth," She held up two fingers and waited until the silverette's blue eyes had locked on to them.

"Hypnotism? I'm not sure-" As she was in the middle of her reservations, Merlin's hand made a clock-wise circled motion and smiled confidently as the girl's eyes darkened and drooped. Within seconds, Elizabeth's head had fallen slack and she breathed easily as if sleeping, much like she had that morning. With careful fingers, Meliodas cupped her chin and lifted her face so that he could peer over her relaxed expression, "Are you sure you didn't just put her to sleep? This doesn't look like any hypnotism I've ever seen."

The mage let out an amused chuckle making the blonde frown at her, "Of course, captain. This is a hyper hypnotism. She's in a far deeper trance due to the depths for which Gowther must permeate her memories. Too shallow and at most he would only be able to do what he had before with the lavender bath; associative memories." she motioned for the goat sin and he approached, standing at the ready.

The blonde took a moment to look over her face again, his expression softening as he let her head down gently then took a few steps back out of the way, allowing for Gowther to stand in the space he left.

"Gowther, under no circumstances are you to change or meddle in the princess' memories, do you understand?" Merlin had come to place a firm hand on the pinkette's shoulder as he placed his own hands gently over the circumference of the silverette's head, thumbs pressed on either side of her forehead.

"Understood. I will not interfere with the princess's memories," Gowther agreed just as a white light glowed over his fingertips and his eyes darkened as he delved into the mind he held captive in his grasp, "Invasion…"

The tavern grew quiet then, the only sounds coming from the city bustling and birds chirping happily outside. Elizabeth looked as peaceful as before, making Meliodas sigh in relief a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. At least he could keep this part of his promise – that she wouldn't be in any pain.

One minute… five minutes… ten minutes passed, and there was no change. A full hour could have passed, and still it would have felt like a lifetime.

"How will we know if it worked?" Meliodas asked, breaking the silence and watching the two in front of him curiously before turning a raised brow to the mage – who was watching with rapt attention. Ever the mad scientist that one was…

"Well… we've never actually tried to use this spell for unlocking memories. It's hard to tell, but I would assume Gowther will most likely emerge with news of his success or failure…" The mage put that thoughtful finger to her lips and it became painfully obvious that this really was just a science experiment to her. She had no clue if it would work or not…

The blonde sighed and had just begun to pull a nearby stool out to sit on to wait, when he paused.

The room's air changed and the blonde found his eyes watching as dust and dirt deep in the crevices of the wood floor began to slide across the surface. It would have been a cool experience if the power that accompanied it wasn't so… eerie. Like a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

At first, Both Meliodas and Merlin could not pin point the source of the magic that was building and swirling around them. It felt like it was everywhere and nowhere. Radiating from a single source while also bouncing from multiple sources throughout the tavern.

Meliodas' eyes scanned the walls and windows, searching, "Are we being attacked?" he asked unable to feel another presence outside of the power that seemed to slowly swallow the tavern whole.

"Captain!"

Blonde hair whipped around as his green eyes rested on the changing scene. "What the…"

Elizabeth's silver hair was defying gravity as the ends began to rise around her. The source of the swirling energy turning into a physical wind – A wind that was beginning to gust about the tavern in a building typhoon – was her. She was at it's epicenter and the power radiating from her was only growing.

"Merlin, what the hell is going on?" He had to shout now as the wind whipped past them, blowing over anything that wasn't nailed to the tavern floor, his arms up to protect his face and fight the currents of air.

The mage held her ground in much the same way, coat tails whipping out wildly around her as she took in the massive energy source in front of her, "I don't know Captain! I've never felt energy like this!" The door to the tavern flung open loudly from the sheer force of the gusts, while windows broke outwards spraying shattered glass outside.

"CAPTAIN!" Meliodas turned his head enough to see Ban, Diane, and King holding on to the door frame – Hawk flying like a kite from where he held on to Ban's leg with his teeth, trying to enter, but unable to make it past the precipice of the magical energy filling the room.

The captain turned his eyes back in time for a blinding light to send the goat sin barreling into a tavern wall, looking dazed and confused, "GOWTHER! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?!" Meliodas shouted, as the pinkette adjusted his glasses as if there wasn't a raging storm making its home in the middle of the tavern.

"I MERELY DID AS INSTRUCTED," The goat sin called back as his pink hair whipped about covering his face, "I ATTEMPTED TO UNLOCK THE PRINCESS' MEMORIES, BUT IT WOULD SEEM AS THOUGH I WAS FORCED OUT."

Forced out?! Could someone even do that to him? Meliodas turned back to watch Elizabeth as the wind grew even fiercer – and his feet skidded slightly across the floor as he was pushed back. Slowly, the silverette's eyes opened, but instead of her usual crystal blues, he was staring at one foggy blue eye and a blaring orange rune in the other. The furniture in the room began to swirl around in the hefty gusts, and it took every bit of the captain's power to remain grounded. Elizabeth herself began to rise into the air, surrounded by an ethereal glow that was unlike anything he had ever felt before… A power that felt as aged as… No, that was impossible!

As if tears had consumed her, a white glowing line began to flow from her rune eye, drawing white geometric designs over her porcelain skin consuming the right side of her face. The lines did not go far however, as Elizabeth's hands suddenly came up to clutch her head and she let out a terrible agonized scream.

The power seemed to screech to a halt, all of the wind vanishing and the furniture that had been flying around suddenly remained pinned in the air as if the very flow of time and space had frozen in the tavern.

"What the fuck is happening?!" Ban and the others clambered in behind them now that the wind pressure had vanished, all of them turning between Meliodas, Merlin and Gowther in turn.

The mage herself had little to say, instead turning to Gowther with a critical eye as the cries of the silverette continued to fill the air.

"It would appear that the princess is rejecting the power that is surging from her," Gowther examined with an unusual glint of intense curiosity in his eyes, unaffected by the cries of the woman – unfeeling as ever.

Elizabeth's pained shrieks reverberated deep within Meliodas' mind and body – feeling them deep within himself and filling him with a dread that matched what he had felt when he had pulled her from the icy river in Direneth, "Get her out of the trance!" He yelled, his voice booming to compete with the cries of the woman he loved.

Merlin flinched, hesitant to stop, but hearing the girl scream in so much pain was enough to break even her resolve. The mage approached quickly, hoping that the damage had not already been done, and extended her fingers over the silverette, "ABSOLUTE CANCEL" She cried out, and the entire bar seemed to crash down around them. All of the furniture toppled to the floor as the immense pressure was released on the room. Elizabeth's eyes closed as the trance was broken and her body was released from the invisible force that held her suspended in the air, falling right into the arms of the captain who had slid to catch her before she could hit the floor.

His hand cupped her face immediately, shaking her slightly, "Elizabeth?!" he called out, and was relieved when he was met with a tired groan and fluttering blue eyes. She looked up at him from under her lashes, a little confused by his worried expression.

"S-sir Meliodas?" she mumbled through her sleepy haze, and the blonde grinned softly. Hoping against hope that it had worked… that this hadn't all been for nothing… "d-did it work?" she asked him, as if not sure for herself, but there was no change in her eyes as she looked up at him and searched his face.

That was all the answer he needed…

Meliodas' grin only grew to mask his worry, and his voice steadied despite the intense ache he was feeling in his chest, "Shouldn't I be asking you that?" he asked through a soft chuckle, but softened his expression when the silverette's crystal blues saddened before her eyes closed and she was out cold again.

The tavern was quiet. Everyone processing what had happened in the silence left by her forgotten screams. It hadn't worked… their attempt at rousing her sleeping memories only served to do exactly what the captain of the sins had been trying to avoid; hurting her further. His guilty expression hid under his blonde hair as he stared down at her peaceful face – he was relieved that she didn't seem to remember the pain she had been in moments before.

There were taps across the floor as the heeled mage approached carefully, "Captain… We took the steps to ensure she was safe. This-" Merlin paused looking about her, a bit of thrill managing to enter her voice – another excited for the prospect of a new test subject, "This was beyond our expectations. It requires more-"

"NO," his answer rang out clear and concise as he held Elizabeth against him, turning his eyes up to the mage with what he hoped was absolution… but knew was probably closer to desperation. Either way, his mind was made up. They weren't going to meddle in her memories any more. Because, what they had found was something they could not even begin to understand.

That… that was not Elizabeth. That had been a power as ancient as his was. And if he was being completely honest with himself… his power… paled in comparison.

Merlin clenched her jaw shut, obviously upset that he was refusing, but wisely keeping her say on the matter to herself.

"And that goes for the rest of you too…" Meliodas climbed to his feet, princess draped in his arms sound asleep, and he looked at the others in turn. The expression he gave them was different than what he had used before. His rage was not enough to convince them… No, this time he was asking them, pleading them, "Leave her to remember on her own." He turned away, carrying the woman of his affections up the stairs to the bedroom and laying her carefully on the bed where she could rest. Watching as she breathed easily, unaware of what had transpired.

It wasn't just about her remembering anymore… He wanted her to remember. More than anyone. But he wanted to keep her safe too. Keep her from experiencing the pain she just had. But more than anything, he was preserving the Elizabeth they had all come to love.

That power… was not Elizabeth's. And he was afraid that whatever they had unwittingly released… would consume her, body and soul.

* * *

"You're actually leaving?!" Arthur whined in dismay as he stood in the presence of the sins and their tavern, which was looking rather disheveled… Why were there repairs being done on the windows? Had the tavern seen a fight the night before? It was midafternoon when Arthur received word from Merlin that the sins had planned on leaving that day, and he had rushed to see them off, hoping that he could convince them to stay – at least one more night… Though he hadn't expected to see them all in such... low spirits? Everyone was happy to see him, thanking him for his hospitality, but they all looked a little deflated from how they usually seemed. Even Sir Pig had less bounce in his gait…

Meliodas grinned easily at him – being the only one looking himself, shoving his hands in his pockets before shrugging, "Gotta keep moving south to track down the prince from Direneth. Our only clues say that he was headed that way. Thanks for having us. We'll be sure to stop by again on our way back."

The young King sighed, choosing not to dwell on the negative atmosphere and instead smiled, "Perhaps then you'll come and help make repairs on the grand library?" he joked, while thinking on the utter shock that had come over him when seeing the destruction caused. Merlin had promised an explanation, but he still had yet to receive one…

The sin captain at least had the decency to look sheepish, "Yeah… sorry 'bout that…" he mumbled – a little tongue in cheek and the king had a sudden suspicion that he had no intention of helping the with the rebuild.

Arthur smiled with a shake of his bright orange hair, taking in their group – noting a distinct lack of silver headed princesses, but choosing not to comment on it, "I do hope your journey proves successful," he said, offering the sin captain his hand, and the two shook in an unspoken agreement of meeting again.

As the others shuffled about, just about ready to head out, Arthur caught Merlin's arm before she could manage to get away, "Be careful," he muttered giving her a rare look of concern as she turned to look at him with raised brow. The squeeze he gave her wrist conveying his wish to see ALL of them again. Safe.

The mage gave him a rather cocky grin, but Arthur could see past it. He knew from the way her attention seemed to be darting around that she was contemplating something… something that could have severe consequences. It was the same look she had when she had warned him that the holy knights were out of control in Lioness… right before they had made the decision to go and see for themselves. This wasn't just some manhunt. No, Arthur knew that the result of whatever was to come, would be enough to shake the entire kingdom to its very core. Enough so, that she had warned him to keep his armies on standby should she send him the word in the letter she had left for him.

And Arthur trusted Merlin's word over his own.

With that, Arthur (and a decent amount of the city) watched as the sins rode off, with their quaint little tavern strapped to the back of a giant pig. Direction – due south.

* * *

 ** _You're weak…_**

 _Fire blazed in her vision, inches from her face. She could feel the searing heat dance over her skin as the flame licked at her tender flesh, burning her, scarring her…_

 _"MONSTER! KILL THE MONSTER!"_

 _She heard them shouting around her as she struggled hopelessly against her binds and screaming in agony as those who bore down on her attacked again in a raged madness. They did not hear her cries; they did not care for her claims to innocence. They were determined to expel the witch they had accused her of being. Her body was humming with a pain so excruciating that before long, it was all she could see, hear and feel._

 _She was going to die…_

 ** _You are weak…_**

 _She looked up as the group surrounding her parted and a familiar face came into her view… an expression on their facade so filled with hate and despair that her heart could not take it. How could someone so dear to her look on her with such disgust? The figure raised their arms, a sharpened sword shining in the firelight dancing around her._

 _"Die, you monster…"_

Tessa's hand reacted before she could even open her eyes, ready to attack her aggressors with every bit of her rage, but before she could unleash her fully fury, she tensed her fingers, straining to keep her powers under control and folding her hand to her chest, "Keep it together…" she hissed as her fingers finally began to fold until she was clenching her fist tight and slowly, her shadows receded deep within her.

It was then that she took a deep breath, relaxing her body before shivering involuntarily. It was cool now that it was late night… how long had she been sleeping?

The night was filled with the sounds of crickets and other night-time crawlers, and Tessa shivered again as the wind brushed past her again.

She sighed as her mind lingered on the nightmare that plagued her even after she was awake. It had been a long time since she had seen that memory. Thankfully, she had been able to hold her darkness at bay… It would have guaranteed her failure in this mission… The blonde rolled her shoulders, choosing to stand to avoid the temptation of sleep and held her balance in the tree she was currently calling her home as she watched the object of her observations.

In the windows – having been repaired on the way - of the little tavern that had found it's place just on the outskirts of a town south of Camelot, there were merry drinkers and happy faces. It was a packed house tonight. One of the tavern's busiest nights in some time.

Wait… why was she even keeping track of that? What useless information…

With a sigh and a shake of her head, her attention was brought to a darkened window on the second floor, where the silver-headed princess still slept, despite the boisterous noise of the patrons in the bar. She had been sleeping since before the group had left Camelot… quite the feat being able to sleep through moving tavern and noisy bar services…

Tessa had learned something new during her observations that afternoon. Little miss princess had lost her memories. Locked them up tight where even the sin with the power over the minds of others could not reach them. An interesting development indeed. And that power she had…

Perhaps, this mission would prove to be of some entertainment afterall…

* * *

 _ *****SPECIAL PREVIEW of Chapter 17: Past and Present Observations**_

A heavy hand fell over the silverette's mouth and nose, cutting off any noise that would have escaped her had she been able to breathe...

"Don't make a sound..." Tessa whispered darkly at her ear, pulling the princess tight against her and feeling the girl's pulse quicken under her grasp, "And you might survive this encounter."


	20. Chapter 17: Past and Present Observation

**HEY EVERYONE! LOOKIT! It's only been three days since my last update!**

 **PHEW, I REALLY wanted to get this chapter out. It was one I've been waiting for... for a long time. Seriously. I've been dropping hints for this chapter for so long, I thought it would never come. I'm hoping you enjoy it half as much as I did** writing **it. I don't usually apologize for the lengths of my chapters, but I know** last **chapter was REALLLLLY long. I wanted to get as much out to you as possible since I had taken such a long hiatus.**

 **REVIEWS:**

 _ **Laetificant: THANK YOU! That really makes my night! Other than this story, I have 3 more in the making. And hopefully along the**_ way _ **I will be able to share with you guys my book when its finished!...**_ cough _ *** sorry...**_ self promotion done _ **.**_

Lick _ **: That is a really good question! Maybe it did... maybe it didn't! We shall see, won't we? Fairy boy will get his... trust. Just wait, dear licky lick. Also, I think their focus is on someone else, dear lick. Because what good is a woman who can't remember anything? ;)**_

 _ **Dr4gonIc3F34th3r: You CAN guess that, and you would be... only 2/10th correct. I like your guesses, though! Keep doing it!**_

 _ **Lickitysplit: As I said in our private convo, you are far too smart for your own good. I like watching car crashes too! Unless they're mine... BTW, I was in an accident this week, and your comment made me giggle. (GUYS, go read Lickitysplit's story! It's fantastic!)**_

Jenarla _ **xXx: I love your reviews. There's not one thing I can comment on, that we didn't talk about over pm, but I just wanted to say that I love you. (GUYS! ALSO read**_ Jenarla's _ **story! It's one of my favorites!)**_

 _ **LUV: THEIR TIME WILL COME! Partially in this chapter and on. You and your king**_ luv _ **... it's disturbingly cute. You're going to**_ luv _ **/hate me this chappie...lol... HAHAHA GO HAVE THAT CHAT WITH TESSA!**_

 _ **NinjaKittinz: Also, too smart for your own good! All your Tessa questions will soon be answered! Well... a good portion of them at least... lol... The sins are chasing them because Atlas is about to wage war on all of**_ britannia _ **. They don't know how or when, but they just figured out that he is one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, so nothing good could come of that, right?**_

 _ **Jillion**_ Tealleaf _ **: As always, I am pinning your review to my chest like a badge of honor! BTW, Imma bout to prove you wrong *evil grin*... You won't be disappointed. That letter will be reaching its recipient REALLY soon, and we'll be seeing a new character enter to fold. I'm so glad I could give you a**_ repreive _ **from your midterms! They SUCK!**_

 _ **BettyBest2: My favorite part of that was**_ shocked _ **hawk too. POOR PIGGIE! So much happening indeed, dear. I'm about to blow you away.**_

muggleblue _ **:**_ hehehehee _ **, dear my name is DOM, of**_ course _ **I'm going to give you EVIL previews! Now, you get to see what's up! Thanks for the**_ props _ **though,**_ hopefully _ **this chapter is up to par!**_

 **EVERYONE ELSE, dropping favs and follows, and just READING, THANK YOU! I say this every chapter, but I need you guys to know how much it means to me and how much I appreciate every single one of you. Even if you don't review (though reviews and messages as SUPREMELY appreciated!)**

 **I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy... and sometimes twisted... adventure...**

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Past and Present Observations**

"And here I thought things were getting interesting…" Tessa groaned, allowing herself a moment of annoyance as she leaned heavily against the tree trunk high up in the branches of a tall conifer. She was a decent distance from her mark, so even if she did make any noise, they wouldn't be able to hear her, let alone find her. She was still using the cloaking magic, and none of them had given any signs of knowing she was following.

Two days… two whole fucking days since they had left Camelot, and nothing interesting outside of the damn giant pig getting up to move had happened since before they left the city. How on earth was _THIS_ a valuable use of her time? Watching them move from place to place, gathering any and all information: from what color underwear the captain of the sins liked seeing on the princess to how badly Ban the undead wanted to stick a spider down the fairy's hood… OH, and how could she POSSIBLY return to the prince without the knowledge of what scraps tasted better to the smaller hog?! Tessa ground her teeth as her face twitched in a snarl she refused to let out from her throat; completely and utterly infuriated.

This was a fucking waste of time.

Obviously, the prince saw it fit to punish her with such a menial task. That's what this had to be. Because she could be doing so much more.

 _Don't fail me again…_

His words rang through her head and it was sobering, causing all of her annoyance to leave her quicker than it had come. This was her prince's wish, and she would fulfill it to the best of her abilities.

She was his instrument of disaster. His plague. She was one of the Four Horsemen of the apocalypse. She was Pestilence and her living shadows were the embodiment of disease and the dark will of mankind.

 _Yeah… A disease…_

Her blonde braid brushed her shoulder as her head fell back against the trunk, the voice of her prince joined by the fierce cries of the long forgotten faces from her nightmare. Screaming, _'Monster! Monster!'_.

Tessa didn't allow herself many opportunities to dwell on the past, but now as she closed her eyes against the glare of the sun that filtered through the leaves to dance across her skin, she couldn't help but see those moments flash across her vision.

The heat of the sunshine resembling the flames of the torches the villagers from her home had thrust against her young tender flesh, the rush of despair she felt as she saw her birth father raise his steel blade above her – demanding her death with a glint of pure hatred in his eyes. Then the look of utter dread as a blade plunged through his back, spattering her with his blood. His body crumpled to reveal her mirror image, her twin smiling feverishly, licking their father's blood from her fingers, at the men who bound and held Tessa to the ground. That night was forever marked in the histories as a bloodbath unlike anything any of the survivors had seen before – and they hadn't left many.

This was how their life began. From then on it was kill or be killed. Together they became one of the most feared mercenary duos that the north had ever seen. They slaughtered entire towns for a small sack of gold coins. They led raids on castles. They took out entire armies. They were unstoppable.

Or… they thought they were unstoppable. It took an army to take them down, but it happened. Tessa and Deidra were captured and sentenced to death by beheading.

It was while she was at the chopping block, waiting for the ax to fall that she saw him for the first time. It was a moment's glance, just as the sharpened blade rushed to claim her head.

 _This was it… She was going to die…_

There was a loud crack, and the wind rushed in front of her face, but she was still alive! She was alive and there was a giant war-ax embedded in the ground mere centimeters from her nose.

Tessa trembled, staring at her misted reflection in the axe, feeling her hot breath cascade over it – it was so close... Her eyes darted up to the shadow that suddenly blocked out the sun, staring down at her with a menacing grin, and for the first time, she understood what real fear felt like.

That shadow knelt down and his features cleared, allowing her to make out his face and eyes that resembled pools of blood. His longer hair was darker than the night. He looked young, but his sinister delighted expression sang of experiences that Tessa couldn't even fathom. This was the man she had seen just moments before the ax had fallen…

This was the young prince of Direneth; Atlas. The only son of a ruthless warrior king. And he exuded a power she knew to fear immediately.

"You're weak," his voice rang out in the shocked silence of his interrupting her execution – and the way he glared at her, felt like he was looking right through her soul, "But I see a fire in you that I recognize…"

For a long time after that day… she wished that blade had severed her head from her body. She had become the prince's entertainment. He did with her what he wished; nothing was out of the question. Torture was his forte… and he took pride and immense joy out of what he did. He made her suffer in ways she never thought possible. And every day, she begged him to kill her.

Tessa wasn't sure how long that went on; years… decades… every day he would drive her further and harder than the day before, and just when she thought he would grant her eternal rest, he would leave her bleeding and begging for death on the floor – praying that the night would take her instead.

No such luck. The cycle would repeat itself the next morning.

Her fate changed the day she stopped begging for her death. She had accepted this to be her fate, and submitted herself completely to it. That morning, instead of dragging her out of her cell… he allowed her to walk out – and she did, following his every command. That was the day that she became a horseman. The day she became pestilence.

To this day, Tessa could still recall the agony. Her body absorbing the thick black sludge from the sacred well he had pushed her into… The voice of a being so terrifying she could hardly believe she wasn't in a nightmare, ringing through her head, demanding her to submit her body and soul to it.

None of the prince's advisors believed she would survive…

But prince Atlas had watched on with a grin, "She won't die…" she heard him say as her consciousness was stolen from her and she was plunged into a darkness so consuming she thought she might never escape it.

If she thought, she knew what pain was before; Tessa couldn't possibly be prepared for what was waiting her when she woke next. Torture was now being called training… but it all felt the same, except probably ten times worse. When she didn't perform as instructed, she would be punished, and then asked to perform again. All the while, they were calling her a name that was not hers: Pestilence. _A fatal disease._

It was not long before her name came to bear fruit. When she was training against too many of Atlas' personal guard. They had cornered her and the order had come down that they were to kill her... and she lost control. Her body unleashed a darkness that massacred the guard; making their skin boil and petrify like a plague, eating them from the inside out. _A fatal disease_.

Atlas had created an unstoppable force out of the monster she already was…

"King! I can carry that myself!" someone called out playfully, catching Tessa's attention – shaking her from her past. This was no time to be dwelling on anything but her current objective.

Tessa made her way closer to the tavern, careful not to rustle the trees as she jumped from branch to branch, she could see their open clearing just past the giant fir she made herself comfy in. The large branch being more than wide enough for her to lay down on to observe down into the open field.

She didn't need to be there, physically… she could just as easily eavesdrop and watch them from her shadows that infiltrated every dark space around the sins… but something about watching with her own two eyes made it less… boring…

Ah… these two…

Pestilence rolled on to her stomach trying to turn her full attention on to the couple, making a sickly sweet mockery of themselves outside of the bar. The floating one carrying a heavy barrel with his hands – and having quite the time of it, his face all flush with effort. The taller brunette giggling behind him with one of her pigtails twisted in her fingers and covering the smile and soft pink dusting over her cheeks.

"My god… they're sickingly cute…" Tessa scrunched her face in disgust, "Fan~tastic…" she drawled with a roll of her eyes and a sigh. She hated cute couples probably as much if not more than useless people. It didn't matter who they were, they made her feel like a third wheel even if she had nothing to do with them.

This 'cute' couple was no different… though slightly more significant than most. The Grizzly sin of Sloth and the Serpent Sin of Envy. Their appearances did not give away their true strength. Tessa had heard that the floating fairy was actually the fairy king… which was impressive in its own way. It wasn't every day you ran into a king of a race – especially not one said to have such immense power.

The other, though currently the same height as Tessa, was actually a giant! How she managed to look so small and still give off a giant's power was beyond her.

"So these are the ones…" She mumbled, cradling her chin in her palm as she lay across the thick branch.

When the sins had managed to infiltrate the castle in Direneth's northern mountains, Tessa's twin had fought these two in the gardens leading up to the main entrance. What was she had said? Oh, right… she said it was like a hitting a fly with a fly swatter. A fitting analogy all considering.

All of that power and neither of them had been able to handle Deidra. How dull. Some great warriors… The fact that the giantess had managed to be controlled by the puppet master at all meant that she was of a lower power than her twin. Not low enough to become a full puppet like the villagers they had acquired, but enough that Deidra had the giantess swinging at the fairy in a bigger-than-life-sized game of whack-a-mole.

The fairy finally managed to carry the barrel and place it where it was supposed to go and leaned over it huffing, looking everything but the distinguished king he was said to be. The shrunken giantess merely giggled before smiling brightly at him, thanking him for his help – probably knowing just as well as Tessa that the grizzly sin could have levitated the barrel, but didn't in a very lame excuse of trying to impress the giantess.

The serpent sin was a lower power, but not King. No, he was far more powerful than Deidra was… Tessa's eyes narrowed on him as the fairy ran a sheepish hand through his hair and mumbled something to the lit up woman in front of him.

So, it was his love for the giantess that made him hold back. He couldn't bear the idea of hurting the woman he loved. A sentiment that was going to get him and his precious serpent sin killed.

Deidra had said she had something special planned for these two the next time they clashed…

"So… any more information about the Four Horsemen?"

Tessa's ears burned as the words reached her from one of the shadows on the side of the tavern. Rolling on to her back and jumping to her feet, Tessa made her way across multiple branches until she could stare suspiciously at the dragon sin – standing cross armed next to the tall busty mage on the side of the tavern – just out of earshot of everyone else.

So they had found out… They weren't nearly as stupid as they looked.

"I've been studying everything I took from the library in Camelot, but as of yet, I have not uncovered anything useful," the mage sighed. Did this woman ever wear anything less than a mischievous grin? Tessa made a mental note never to be caught alone with that one… for some reason she imagined she would be like a frog pinned prone to a table…

The blonde sin sighed as well, frowning slightly while scratching his head, "I just can't seem to wrap my head around it. What exactly are they trying to accomplish?"

Pestilence smiled at that one, and for a moment was disappointed that she couldn't share with them. It was a rather brilliant goal, after all.

The two stopped speaking abruptly as the princess stepped out into the sun and stretched her arms high above her head, a flustered looking pig following close behind, "Are you sure you should be up and about, Elizabeth? That was a nasty headache you had this morning!"

"I feel much better, Hawk. I don't plan on going far," she smiled, leaning over to pat the hog's head before her attention shifted to the short blonde and tall ravenette, then her cheeks flared a brighter red than Tessa thought was possible. "Oh! Uh… S-Sir Meliodas… I'm… Going to take a walk," she stuttered, shyly, and turned on her heals before the man could get a word in edge wise.

Tessa shook her head, watching as the silverette made her way across the clearing. That had been a lot happening since… Now it was the horseman's turn to brighten in a dusty pink blush.

It had been her fault that the princess had been able to get back to the tavern, after all…

Tessa had been hoping to see the dragon sin's wrath that night. So, she broke the mage's spell on the room, allowing for the silverette to escape. What she hadn't expected was for the two of them to get so… passionate. It had been like watching lions go at it, and she had made a point NOT to watch for long. As soon as it became apparent that the sin captain wasn't going to be losing control, she made herself scarce. The results of her little experiment, had been very intriguing though…

Tessa's eyes followed the silverette curiously, wondering why none of the other sins were following her. This was still a forest… and there were monsters lurking nearby – that last thought making her grin slightly.

"Let's go hunt us a princess…" she mumbled when it became clear that none of the others were going to be following the woman, disappearing into the branches and chasing the silverette from above, jumping from tree to tree as if she were part of the forest herself.

The girl was not hard to find. It would be harder to miss her. The woman hummed a joyful little tune as she made her way down a cleared path through the brush and gasping loudly when she came to the entrance of a thick alcove, something inside catching her fancy. The entire woods was filled with her sounds…

"How lovely! These boysenberries would be perfect for dessert tonight!" she exclaimed happily, rushing to one of the densely packed bushes.

Tessa had followed and now Leaned up against the bark of the tallest and heavily covered fir trees in the area, her eyes caught what the princess' failed to, and a smirk formed over her lips, "I wouldn't do that if I were you…" she whispered to the air.

As the silver-headed woman could not hear her, or sense the gravity of the situation, she reached forward and jostled the bush, pulling roughly on the berry branches that refused to submit to her whim. Until, finally, she pulled so hard it sent her falling backwards on to her butt with a triumphant smile on her face and a large branch falling behind her.

"I warned you…" the horseman mumbled, shaking her head softly.

That victorious grin on the princess' face didn't last long… as the foliage began to shake and the silverette's attention was quickly cast back to the bush she had disturbed. Eyes going wide like saucers as a hulking beast climbed to its feet, having been resting behind the bush and abruptly disturbed when the woman thrashed the branches around.

The grin on Tessa's face grew as she watched the color completely drain from the woman's face, "What will you do, princess?" There was only one way to deal with this kind of beast. Something the princess should have been MORE than aware-

Tessa's eyes widened a fraction as the princess froze. Her mouth falling open and chest rising as her lungs filled with air…

A heavy hand fell over the silverette's mouth and nose, cutting off any noise that would have escaped her had she been able to breathe.

Tessa's jaw clenched tight – having morphed from the shadows above to appear behind the woman in time to keep her from screaming, staring up at the horned beast that was now towering over them, swinging his snout back and forth, large horns reaching up to rustle the branches above it. It was looking for the culprit that had disturbed it… and it was not happy.

"Don't make a sound," Tessa whispered darkly at her ear, pulling the princess tight against her and feeling the girl's pulse quicken under her grasp, "And you might survive this encounter. Do you understand?"

The girl caught in her grasp nodded in small quick movements, so Tessa released her hold over the girl's nose so she could release the breath she had been holding, but kept a tight hand over her mouth. She wasn't convinced this girl would follow her direction, not to mention this was the only way she could keep her from turning to look at her, "That beast, is a dusk bison… and you just woke it up," The blonde kept her eyes on the beast as it huffed angrily into the air and she kept her voice a mere whisper, "Luckily for you, these creatures are nocturnal. They can't see very well during the day…"

Tessa's heart was racing as she very carefully and silently pulled the princess to her feet, "Take slow steps backwards," she instructed, receiving a quick nod as acknowledgement.

They both took their first step back together, good… they were going to get out of this intact.

Second step, and the beast seemed to be losing his rage as he was unable to find them.

Third step… almost there… they just had to get far enough away that it wouldn't hear the princess make a mad dash for the clearing…

Fourth step… CRACK… Tessa's eyes went wide as the princess' closed tightly as all of the sounds in the forest seemed to stop in that moment. That was not a soft crack of an aged tree losing its branches. It was a crack so deafening that the entire forest would have heard it.

The blonde's head whipped behind them to see the princess' foot over the offending branch. The same branch the damned woman had pulled away that had angered the fucking beast to begin with.

The huge snout and ruby eyes of the dusk bison were trained on them, nostrils flaring as it took heated angry huffs of air before stomping its hooves, readying itself to trample them.

Cursing under her breath, Tessa threw the princess to the side, and time seemed to slow to a stop.

The dusk bison was charging forward, every hoof-fall creating a deep mark in the soft ground of the forest. Eyes set on the horseman with deadly intent. Taking a deep breath, Tessa's hand whipped, palm up, and her shadows erupted from around her as she drew them from the natural overcast of the foliage that surrounded them, skewering the beast before it had made two full strides of it's massive body. In that same breath she made that massive form disappear – hiding it in the bush that it had called its resting spot, without so much of a drop of its blood spilled on the dirt. She would leave no trace…

Princess Elizabeth's body hit the ground and the blonde horseman stepped into the space she had created with her shadows, then stepped back out high above in the trees.

Five seconds. That's all it took. Time caught up to them, and silver hair whipped around, looking for the mysterious stranger and the beast that had threatened her. She would find neither of them. Tessa made sure of that.

The princess gasped, her breathes coming out as pants as she stumbled to her feet, twirling around looking for any sign that she hadn't imagined the entire event. "W-Wait! I need to thank you! You saved me!" she cried out swinging back and forth, unknowing of the horseman who stared down on her with narrowed eyes, high up in the trees.

She had interfered… saved the life of her target. An action that was beyond bewildering to her.

"Don't thank me... It's a mistake I won't make again…" Tessa whispered, clenching her fists before turning and retreating further into the forest until she knew her cover hadn't been completely blown…

* * *

Meliodas was finishing off some last repairs to the tavern roof's shingles when he looked up and saw Elizabeth running as fast as she could, clutching her small basket to her chest like it was her life line, tumbling through the tree line and sighing with relief when she was out in the open. An action that had him more than a little intrigued… considering the things he had felt coming from that direction. It hadn't been but a second's worth of power surge, so he hadn't thought much of it, until he saw the silverette that is…

He jumped from the tavern roof, landing on his feet easily and shoved his hands in his pockets as Elizabeth jogged the rest of the way to him, "That didn't take long," he commented with a raised brow.

Diane was just passing by when she saw that Elizabeth was trying to catch her breath, and glanced over her shoulder to look into the small basket, "Whatcha got there Elizabeth?"

The silverette, looked up breathless then back down at her little basket, forgetting momentarily that she had been running away from something, "Oh… I found some boysenberries," she mumbled, showing the shrunken giantess the contents, "I thought that we could make a special dessert for opening tonight!"

Diane smiled happily, taking a small berry from the basket and tossed it in her mouth, chewing contentedly, before her brows scrunched confused, "Elizabeth, these aren't boysenberries, silly!" the giantess picked up another from the basket, holding it up to inspect.

"T-They're not?"

Diane chuckled holding the berry out so that both Elizabeth and Meliodas could see, "No! These are blackberries! They're much smaller and sweeter than boysenberries. But these are better for sweets, in my opinion."

 _Blackberries huh… this woman certainly liked to play fast and loose with the fates…_

The blonde sin let out a chuckle, catching the silverette's less than amused gaze, "Ignoring the seer's advice already, are we?" he smiled slyly, receiving wide startled blue eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked at the sudden change in her expression.

She didn't say anything when her mouth fell open, instead relying on her finger to point back in the direction of where she had run away from.

"A dusk bison?! Are you sure that's what you saw, Elizabeth?!" Diane leaned over to look at Elizabeth as the three of them crossed the tree line and Meliodas led them through the forest. About half way to the line, Elizabeth had found her words again and told them that a dusk bison had appeared out of the bush of blackberries she had picked from.

"Y-yes… I'm positive," she mumbled, tightening her hands on the basket handle, but her face lit up soon with recognition as they reached the little alcove, surrounded by berry bushes. It was a regular berry mother-load. Hawks paradise... meaning that Meliodas would need to keep this little spot hidden from him if they wanted to keep any of the fruit for dinner.

"I don't see anything…" Diane mumbled, looking all around.

The little area was empty. Aside from some scuff marks that matched the shape of Elizabeth's shoes, there was no sign that anything else had been here. Not a single other mark in the ground.

"B-But! There were giant prints in the dirt! I swear I saw it here!" the silverette defended, looking just as confused.

Meliodas watched her carefully a moment, keeping the most obvious questions to himself… if she HAD seen a dusk bison… why hadn't she screamed? How did she get away from it? And… where had it gone?

"Well, looks like whatever was here, isn't anymore!" he chimed in cheerfully, putting a reassuring hand on Elizabeth's shoulder, and she lit up like a fiery sunset. Her eyes managing to avoid his again.

Alright… now he KNEW she was doing it on purpose now. She had been acting really standoffish the last couple of days, and it was starting to get to him. Instead of saying anything, though, he removed his hand and looked to Diane with a grin, "Why don't you two take a couple branches from that bush and get them ready for tonight?"

That seemed to clear the air. Diane and Elizabeth exchanged smiles as they quickly gathered branches of berries from the bush Meliodas had pointed at and then quickly retreated back to the tavern, leaving the captain to stand alone in the alcove, watching them leave.

With a curious hum, Meliodas bent over to grab a snapped branch as his eyes drifted over to the bush Elizabeth claimed she had seen the beast in question emerge from. He knelt down and carefully lifted the bottom branches of the underbrush with the stick, revealing a puddle of dark red and the skewered flesh of what he could only assume used to be a dusk bison.

Ah… so that was one mystery solved.

His eyes drifted up at a particularly tall fir tree with a thoughtful expression before he tossed the twig away and made his way back to the tavern too, deciding to keep the fate of the dusk bison to himself for the time being…


	21. Chapter 18: Hot Springs and Hostages

**WOW!**

 **That last chapter sure threw everyone for a loop right? Initially, I wasn't sure I wanted to post my original plans, in favor of something you were all pretty sure was going to happen: Elizabeth getting kidnapped. As a writer, though, I like keeping you on your toes and having things play out the way they did… opens up so many other possibilities. Trust me, you may or may not have liked where the last chapter went, but in the long run, you'll come to appreciate it and the consequences a single choice can have for a single character. Choices always come at a price.**

 **SO, Good news and bad news. I am entering into a contest for my latest novel and I'm SUPER excited about it. The bad news? Well, it MAY mean that I spend a little more time getting chapters out as finishing my novel becomes a priority for a little while. No worries, though. I plan on keeping up with my weekly schedule – hopefully (please excuse my absence over the last two weeks as I have had more exams and business stuff come up that took my focus away!).**

 **YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! MOST REVIEWS FOR A CHAPTER THUS FAR! SPECIAL PREVIEW AT THE END AS A TREAT!**

 **REVIEWS:**

 _ **direwolfscry: I'm sorry for killing you! Here, have a chapter to revive you!**_

 _ **Guest: I"M SORRY! No ugly crying in the presence of awesome chapter! Dom loves you! Thank you for checking back so often!**_

 _ **Kairi Asakura: BLACKBERRIESSS! Yes, that is what the seer had warned her about. I would like to point out that of the three warnings the old seer had given, only one has come to fruition. I'm so glad you like the way I keep you guessing. I think that predictable things are boring.**_

 _ **LICKY LICK: I like bad guys who have purpose. not just... "huh, I think I'm going to be an asshole today". Everyone has a reason for being where they are and I feel like those stories should be told. ESPECIALLY in Tessa's case. Also, that TAR initiation was special for Tessa only. I'll explain later!**_

 _ **Cerulean Grace: WELCOME! I'm super excited that you've joined us! I love it when I have readers like you (in truth, you're like me. I do the same thing). Thank you so much for such kind and amazing words. I hope you enjoy this crazy adventure!**_

 _ **Sofibbe: There are a lot of things I have left blank about Tessa for now. Those blanks will fill themselves as time goes on. Trust me, you will get more, but I want to hear you beg for it first. No one said I was just going to give it to you!**_

 _ **LUV: I thought you would love that scene! I love Tessa. I keep saying it, but Tessa never started as much, but evolved into something pretty awesome. I can't wait to tell the rest of her story. You should be nervous. This is Deidra we're talking about. Nothing good comes from that woman. LUV YOU!**_

 _ **Dr4gonIc3F34h3r: You may indeed count that as partially correct. But I won't tell you why! If you're going to do a bad guy POV, WHY NOT do a whole chapter? Bad guys have stories too!**_

 _ **lickitysplit: I WANNA KNOW YOUR THEORY! I'm so glad you love my pacing. That makes me so happy.**_

 _ **foxesandflowers: THANK YOU! Hopefully, it continues to be exciting!**_

 _ **Jenarla xXx: ALL OF THE QUESTIONS! And you will receive answers as the story progresses. I promise! BLACKBERRIES! Only the first of three warnings has come to fruition. I'm glad it had you tense! It was supposed to be tense. I did my job well. Thank you. It means a lot to me, that you think that. Seriously. Thank you.**_

 _ **BettyBest2: You're assuming it's the princess they have plans for? Remember, the whole marriage thing fell through. Cat's out of the bag. So, Elizabeth dying would be an inconvenience at best. Tessa is very conflicted, but perhaps she won't be in the future. All of the horsemen are older than they seem. That will all be explained in the future. Poor Eli is having issues... and this chapter will put that into perspective.**_

 _ **Stormie: Tessa does love Atlas... in a Stockholm syndrome sort of way. You'll see... LOVE YOU STORMIE!**_

 _ **NinjaKittinz: If it had gone the way you planned, it wouldn't have been exciting!**_

 _ **Jillion Tealleaf: YAY! I'm so glad you liked it! Tessa is one of my favorite bad guys I've ever written. Aside from Atlas for completely different reasons. More shenanigans to follow, so keep tuned!**_

 _ **Camdrow: Thanks for being awesome and pointing out my computer's dumb-ness. Keep being amazing! :)**_

 **To everyone reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting, thank you. From the bottom of my heart. Thank you. You are the lifeblood of this story and without you, it would be nothing.**

 **I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!**

* * *

 **Chapter 18: Hot Springs and Hostages**

Elizabeth yawned, blinking the sleep from her eyes as they fluttered open in the morning light filtering in through the bedroom window. They had had such a busy dinner rush that she had nearly fallen asleep on her feet. On top of that, right after closing down for the night, Sir Meliodas had them relocating! Something a patron had told him apparently had him excited to keep moving. Perhaps she HAD fallen asleep on her feet… she wasn't entirely sure when or how she managed to crawl into bed.

She turned over with another half-yawn and felt her entire body go rigid as she was greeted with bright green eyes and a happy grin. Meliodas was lying next to her… an occurrence that had been happening every night since…

Elizabeth's skin burned in her flush as their night of passion replayed fresh in her mind as if it had just happened.

"Good morning, Elizabeth," his voice was light, but his bright green eyes seemed to be trained on her in a way she hadn't been expecting; pinning her to the spot, making it so that she couldn't run away.

"G-g-good morning…" she stuttered, voice meek, pulling the blanket up to her mouth in nervous habit. Hiding… her own little form of hiding, at least. Why was she hiding? She'd seen this man in his rawest form, and vice versa.

Ever since their night together, she hadn't been able to look the sin captain in the eyes for more than a few moments. She saw him and her body erupted into a fury of emotions that she just couldn't handle. On the one hand, she was quickly learning what lust was. That brewing heat in her belly, that tingle that ran up her spine, that numbing of her mind that made her senses swim. The other hand was not nearly as kind. It was a wash of guilt, regret, and uncertainty. She had someone out there waiting for her.

She was so conflicted, it hurt. So much for being a woman 'in tune' with herself… she was acting like a child, she knew it and she hated herself for it.

Because, just as it wasn't fair to whoever was probably out there looking for her, it wasn't fair to the man who had bared his soul to her in a fit of passion. That line of thought usually brought up even more unworkable feelings for the already confused silverette. Had he actually bared his soul to her? It had been a night of passion, sure; but passion of the lust variety. Neither of them had spoken words of love to the other…

That's about the time when the real question ebbed its way into her already distraught mind; _do I love him? Is that what these feelings are, or just some temperamental attraction?_

What did she know about love? Nothing. For all intents and purposes, she was a blank slate. Woke up with an understanding of the word, but nothing to compare it to.

Meliodas had watched her the whole time all of these emotions played over her expression again, and she couldn't stand it anymore. She felt like her soul was on display for his viewing pleasure, and it was worse than being naked. Far worse, because at least if she were naked, she could pull the blankets up and they would actually hide her, instead of the poor excuse of hiding she had done earlier. Cause really, she wasn't doing anything more than avoiding the problem. Yes, Avoiding. That's what she would do. She sat up fast, moving to remove herself from the bed, but stopped abruptly when his hand caught her arm.

"Elizabeth, wait," his voice was far gentler than she had imagined it would be and when she turned to peek at him, his brow was creased worriedly as he watched her, "You've been avoiding me," he said in that same voice, and it wasn't a question. He's wasn't an idiot; she knew that he had noticed. Goddesses, the entire group had probably noticed by this point, not that she was very good at hiding it. Because, again, she wasn't hiding, she was avoiding. Avoiding him, just like he was accusing her of.

"Hiding's not going to make it any easier," he continued, a small grin beginning to pull at the corner of his lips as he accurately answered to her internal arguments. A sign that he wasn't mad. Far from it. That didn't make it any easier, though.

Her teeth found her lower lip as she considered what she was going to do. She wanted to smile at him, assure him that everything was fine. Make it seem like this wasn't tearing her up on the inside. Avoid the inner storm for as long as she could.

Instead, she felt the floodgates open, "I just don't know how to deal with any of this! I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about you or anyone else, and I feel like I'm cheating someone! I just can't decide!" she shouted in frustration, blush renewing in a brilliant vigor as she realized she had spilled her guts in a single breath. Perhaps, avoiding hadn't been the best option, but this hardly felt better.

After a long moment of silence stretching between them, shy eyes peered over her shoulder again to see his reaction to her confession and was surprised to see him smiling light-heartedly at her, making her heart flutter. It was such an easy smile. A warmth she wouldn't have minded being enveloped in for the rest of forever. At least, he had the decency not to laugh; that would have only made her feel worse.

"You worry too much. No one says you have to make any decisions. Even if you did, you don't have to decide right now, Elizabeth," his voice was filled with a confidence that reached her and made her chest feel lighter, "Besides, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what you tell yourself or what you think, your heart will always tell you the truth," he finished, releasing her arm and placing his behind his head easily.

Elizabeth's eyes had softened on him as his heartfelt (and perhaps a little sappy) words sank in. The small smile she was returning him slowly fell as she blinked and his words shifted in her mind, a heavy buzz filling her senses, "There's… no way… you can fool… your own heart…?" she mumbled, bringing her hand up to grasp her aching right eye and temple as a headache took form.

Those weren't the words he had just said, and yet, she remembered him saying them all the same. What on earth? Through the pain of a growing migraine, Elizabeth peeked through her good eye to see Meliodas' green orbs wide but shifted suddenly when she winced at a rather painful throb in her temple. "I'll get Merlin," he said, jumping from the bed and rushing from the room before she even had a chance argue.

* * *

"Open your eyes wide for me, dear… good," Merlin peered into Elizabeth's eyes, in turn, then pressed at different points on her forehead and temples, asking at each point, "Is it tender when I press here?" Elizabeth shook her head and answered no to each.

By the time Meliodas had brought Merlin up to see Elizabeth the headaches had subsided, but that wasn't all that Meliodas was having the mage look her over for.

Upon finishing her examination of the girl, Merlin smiled on her, "How long have you been having these headaches?"

Elizabeth thought carefully, "I guess they started right after we left the city," she said, shrugging as if she saw no correlation.

Meliodas did. And he had a feeling Merlin did too. Their little experiment to bring her memories back was doing something… Something causing her headaches. But that wasn't the only thing.

Meliodas watched from the side, studying Elizabeth's features as she spoke to the mage. At the time when he had said those words… he hadn't thought she had heard him. That was a long time ago now, it felt. Back before they had found the sins and saved the kingdom from the Holy Knights. Back when the worst he had to worry about was Elizabeth being recognized as the third princess of the realm.

It was words meant for a certain young kid known far too well for pranks, but he had taken his own words to heart more than the kid had.

 _'You can lie to yourself all you want, but there's no way you can lie to your own heart…'_

And she remembered them verbatim…

"Well, as you seem to be in perfect health, I cannot say for sure what would be causing these headaches," Merlin sighed with a slight shrug of her shoulders and Elizabeth nodded, drinking in her ruse.

 _Right… you know damn well what's causing them._

"What if it's stress?"

All of the faces in the room turned then to the window where Diane looked in, having returned back to her normal height. Merlin put a thoughtful finger to her chin while ignoring the pointed look Meliodas was secretly shooting her, "Stress on the mind and body can cause physical harm. The headaches may, in fact, be stress related."

"But… I don't think I'm under any-" her eyes trailed to Meliodas and when he gave her a soft grin, she stopped. Probably knowing as well as he that she had been far too worried for her own good over something she shouldn't worry about at all, "H-how do I become… not stressed?" she asked, blushing in her revelation and receiving multiple smiles from around the room.

"I have the best idea! There's a hot spring not far from here. I saw it when King and I did a sweep of the area. Why don't we make today a ladies' relaxation day!" Diane exclaimed happily, her pigtails bouncing in her mirth.

"A ladies'-"

"-Relaxation day? Diane, I think that's a marvelous idea," the mage smiled brilliantly, "Elizabeth, I think this is exactly what you need. No doubt you're exhausted from your shifts in the tavern," she added quickly when Elizabeth started thinking on the topic.

"B-but… what about opening tonight?" her eyes trailed back to him, and he smiled. How cute… Was she asking his permission?

"I think we could all use a day off. We've more than made up for the nights we were closed," he assured, his smile only deepening when her face lit up and she rose to her feet to look excitedly at the other women.

Now THAT was a sight he wouldn't want to miss. Elizabeth, bathing in a natural hot spring? What kind of man would he be if he said no to that! "Need some help bathing?" the blonde asked seriously, his bright eyes twinkling mischievously.

Elizabeth sputtered, face flaring a bright red as she turned back to him with flailing hands, as if the movements conveyed her words. There was a storm of clops then as a stampede suddenly erupted into the room, barreling into the blonde with the speed and ferocity that could only come from the wrath that was Hawk, "NOT ON YOUR LIFE!" the hog squealed hotly, huffing as he stood between the Meliodas-sized dent in the wall and Elizabeth.

"I've already let you get too far, I'm not letting it happen again!" he screamed, and as Meliodas pulled himself out of the wall, he made a mental note to tie the pig up somewhere even his mother wouldn't be able to get him down from.

Merlin's hands rested reassuringly on Elizabeth's shoulders as she gave the captain a knowing smile, "I think we can manage alright captain, besides, don't you have more important things to attend to?"

Meliodas rolled his eyes… of course, he did. That didn't mean he wanted to miss out on the opportunity that was presented to him. But, the mage was right, not that he would say that out loud. There was something more important he needed to address first. "Fine, fine," he waved off, shooting Hawk a raised brow, "You better go along and keep watch, Hawk," he said, getting a piercing look from the pork.

"Yeah, keeping watch for perverts like you!"

* * *

Pestilence watched with raised brow as the mage sin and the princess met the Giantess outside and all walked away from the tavern together followed by a perturbed looking pig, "You'll love the hot springs Elizabeth!" the giantess exclaimed, bouncing around in a way that no woman her size should. Elizabeth was carrying a medium sized basket over her arm filled with bottles and towels.

Hot springs, huh? Now that she thought about it, she had seen a natural spring in her recent scouting of the area after the sins had moved to this new location. It was a nice size, but the horseman wondered briefly how the massive woman was going to manage it, given her returned height. Perhaps they were going to shrink her down again?

"I'm not watching three women bathe… Mission or not, there are some things even I won't do…" she grumbled, leaning up against the bark of what was becoming her favorite tree to observe from, arms propped behind her head lazilly.

The men were bound to talk shop more than the ladies anyways. She was guaranteed some decent intel if she stuck around the tavern.

 _At least, there are others going with the accident prone princess this time…_ she thought to herself before she shook the worry from her mind. Why the fuck did she care?! It had been a momentary relapse of judgment, nothing more, that spurred her on to saving the princess. She had no orders to keep the woman alive. She could just have easily let the woman die! Then the sin captain would have really been an unstable mess!

But she hadn't. The fact of the matter was, for a brief moment in time, Tessa's body felt an urge to protect instead of destroy.

And it was pissing her off. She was a horseman. She was a walking disease, for crying out loud! She was created to destroy and kill and bring about catastrophes. Not save the life of a woman who was better off dead!

With a heavy sigh, Tessa closed her eyes and listened to the quiet of the woods as a soft summer breeze washed over her and the women's voices became more and more distant, fading completely out as they disappeared into the forest. She pushed all of that nasty do-gooder nonsense to the back of her mind and let it just be blank. The day was just about to peak, and the sun was bright overhead. It was beyond peaceful – like a scene from a dream. In this place, she only needed to wait and focus on her task at hand. She just had to hold out until they started giving up their secrets…

She heard the distinct whistle of something parting the air, before she sensed it, managing only to shift her face a few inches to the right before her eyes shot open in shock.

A sharp spear was embedded in the bark of the tree, fitting perfectly in the open space made by her propped arm. The unbelievably sharp blade had sliced right through her cheek, and she could feel blood start to creep down to her jaw.

"Nice dodge, but next time I won't miss," King, the grizzly sin, was floating a few feet away from the end of the branch she called home, a scowl on his face. This was the embodiment of a king of a race… and he looked serious about taking her out.

 _Fuck…_

With a soft growl, Tessa untwined her arm around the impressive looking spirit spear and threw her body off the branch – falling to the ground and landing on her feet. She shuffled forward but froze in her tracks.

"Where ya goin~?" Ban the undead was there waiting ahead of her with a menacing glint in his red eyes, making his grin that much more sinister, "The party's' just gettin started!"

Shit… this was an ambush!

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that it's rude to spy on people?"

Tessa had begun to take slow steps backward before the laidback voice reached her ears and she spun to see the sin captain standing behind her a few yards away, a knowing grin on his face and arms propped lazily behind his head.

Her teeth ground as her jaw tightened, eyes darting to the other two flanking her on her other sides. She was trapped… with a chuckle, her narrowed eyes landed on the all too casual blonde, "How long have you known?" she asked, calculating the possibilities of her being able to escape.

Her chances were better than most… not many people could survive a run-in with her power…

The dragon sin thought about it a moment, humming as he considered, "Since the day we went to the grand library in Camelot," his piercing green eyes came back to rest on her, his grin growing.

Bullshit… there was no way they had known that long that she was there…

"Merlin made a potion that allowed us to feel past your cloaking spell. We've known you've been hanging around for a while now," he answered her thoughts, seeing the confusion on her face, "We were trying to see what you were up to, so we left you alone."

She had to give it to the sins… this was rather brilliant. She had no idea they had figured her out so quickly. And then to stage an ambush, without her feeling any of them moving about? It was almost inconceivable, but here she was, surrounded by three of the most powerful knights the kingdom of Lyoness had ever seen.

A demon, a fairy king, and an immortal man.

Well… she had wanted some entertainment, hadn't she?

"Tell ya what," the captain of the sins looked at her seriously now, and she could feel them inching in on her, ready to pounce, "You cooperate, and we'll let you go." He said easily.

What? Did he take her for an idiot?!

Apparently his comrades agreed with her because both the fairy and the immortal both shot their captain looks of shock and anger, "WHAT?! Why the fuck would we do that?!"

"CAPTAIN!? SHE'S A HORSEMAN! We can't just let her go!"

The blonde continued to stare her down, supposedly waiting for her answer while ignoring the other's angry cries. His brow shot up as her answer came in the form of a genuine laugh that she could feel building in her gut. It was a soft chuckle at first, then grew to a hearty sound before long. She hadn't laughed that hard in a long time. It was so funny that he thought she was stupid enough to believe such nonsense, and the mere notion had her nearly doubling over with the uncontrollable fit of giggles that had taken hold of her.

But, now… comedy hour was over.

Without warning, Tessa's hands shot up, and with them, spikes of pure darkness erupted out to attack the three sins who had surrounded her. Meliodas had managed to jump back and dodge the spikes. King, using his fingers, clashed with her darkness with the spirit spear, fighting them off like they were swords. Ban too was maneuvering his body faster than any normal person would have seen to avoid being skewered.

All valiant efforts, but she was no ordinary opponent. They would have to do better than running away if they wanted to trap her. This _was_ their ambush after all.

Though her hands were busy conducting the deadly spiked shadows in a symphony of attacks, her body was releasing even more of her darkness into the very ground they danced over. Unless they could fly like the fairy, at least two of the sins would become her victims soon enough.

The sin captain jumped back a few more times, avoiding waves of her spikes and just as she predicted, his foot fell into her trap. Like a landmine, darkness exploded up and around, slicing through all in its path as they took the form of swirling razor blades, sharper than any steel.

"Captain!" King shouted, suddenly spear-less and floating much higher than she originally thought he was. Tessa's eyes flicked over to see that sparks were flying as darkness clashed with spear long enough for the captain to get out of harm's way. His shirt sleeve hadn't been nearly as lucky as part of it hung tattered.

"Thanks!" he shouted at the fairy who was now pulling the spear back to protect himself against the darkness that was chasing him with renewed fervor.

At least, it wasn't an easy battle. There was no fun in just killing them all. Though, it would save her a great deal of work later… What was the line? Work smart, not hard?

Tessa's eyes went wide as her body felt like it tripled in weight as her strength was stolen from her. Peeking to her right she found Ban the undead smiling devilishly. Her shadows were receding as her power was sapped from her, but the smirk on her face never once faltered, "Did you not learn your lesson the first time, Ban?" she scorned, lifting her hand with obvious effort, but a quick twitch of her finger had the undead man's body wringing and tearing itself apart. Her living disease eating his regenerative flesh faster than he could remake it.

"Guess- I'm a glutton for pain!" He yelled through the agonizing torment she put him through. But a flick of his eyes alerted her to his real intentions.

Her face flashed back to front just in time for a solid force to connect with her jaw, sending her tumbling backward from the immense pressure of the blow. She just barely rolled over across the ground to avoid being skewered by kunai; crawling, twisting and flipping backward to avoid the other thousand that appeared. She had managed to avoid most, but a few had left their mark. Burying deep into her shoulder, stomach, and left leg. He wasn't kidding, King had no intention of missing…

"This would be a lot easier if you just cooperate," the blonde shook his hand from the punch he threw, that, had she been anyone else, would have destroyed her jaw. But, the man was obviously out of his damn mind. This? This was nothing. Tessa had felt her entire body crushed before. Three little knives weren't going to slow her down.

Another heavy blow landed on her right side, but this time, she knew to expect it. Ban was throwing punches at a speed he shouldn't have been able to, considering the toll her darkness was taking on him. Somehow, she was just barely keeping up.

"Ban!" Meliodas called out, but the undead man continued his assault at a blinding speed, eventually beating out her blocking and connecting more than a thousand hits in the blink of an eye.

Her bones cracked and splintered in the areas he hit, and her body flew several yards like a life-sized rag doll.

The vial bandit spit blood and shot her a glare that could kill, "That's for earlier, you bitch!"

Tessa fumbled to her hands and knees, glaring up through hooded eyes as her own black tinted blood trickled from her mouth. This was bad. She had underestimated the sins and held back in favor of just escaping, but now they had her in their sights.

"Ban, that's enough!" The dragon sin yelled, jumping to smack the back of his white-haired head, "We need her alive!"

"I think that's enough outa you!" the bandit dared, pulling his much shorter captain up into what didn't look like a very friendly headlock. "This bitch is only going to keep comin after us, and you're looking to let her go?!"

"Ban's right, captain. We can't just release a horseman!" King now levitated next to the others, his spear trained on her in case she made any sudden movements.

"I say we get the info we need and get rid of her once and for all!"

Enough playing around. She was done with this stupid little farce. Tessa's hands rose again to summon more of her shadows, feeling them all converge on her and build behind her as she poised to send it flying, but in the blink of an eye, she was caught by her wrists and sent flying backward to crash into the thick tree she had fallen out of. The wind knocked out of her lungs and cracked ribs protesting her new prone state.

Looking from side to side, she chuckled hoarsely as she took in the thick metal bracelets over her wrists, linking her arms invisibly behind the tree, "You think this will hold me?" she gave them a breathy sneer as she attempted to summon her darkness to break her restraints, but her eyes shot open wide as she realized that her body was no longer pulsing with the power of her darkness. "W-what?"

"Merlin's magical item number 43; Cancelation Cuffs," she heard a stoic voice announce, and her head whipped around to focus on the new presence in the clearing – what the hell? Had he been there the whole time?

The pinkette… Gowther the goat sin of lust was pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose, coming out into the open from his place in the bushes, "Those restraints are enchanted to cancel any powers of the restrained and keep them chained to the spot of the enchanter's choosing. Merlin said it would be ironic for you to be pinned to the tree from which you spied on us from. Is this true, captain?"

"So that's what Merlin left with you?" the blonde asked daring to move closer to her and ignoring his question about irony.

She attempted to summon every ounce of magic to impale the sin on the spot, but again nothing happened. It was true… Tessa was trapped. And with her shadows unreachable within her, the pain of the kunai still buried in her skin was really starting to hurt.

"That broad has a wicked sense of humor…" Ban deadpanned, suddenly losing interest as Tessa was nullified. "So, about torturing the info outa this one," his less enthused eyes simmered with a poorly hidden need for blood as he took in her precarious position, reminding her of another man with a penchant for torture. Her master's face and warning flashed in her mind and she was suddenly afraid.

Not afraid of the sins, oh no. Afraid of the punishment waiting for her when her master found out that she had failed him once more.

The greatest mercy the sins could possibly show her was not setting her free… but killing her on the spot.

* * *

Quiet.

So beautifully and peacefully quiet. Surely, this was the height of summer living. The forest seemed to block out any sound as they had traversed deeper into its depths. And, though the sound had been drowned out, the trees allowed for rays of light to dance along the ground and brighten the woods in a bright shade of green. It was a perfect day. The weather was cool even with the bright cloudless skies. The breeze that swept through the branches like a siren's song lulled all into a state of utter relaxation.

"Come on Elizabeth! The water feels amazing!" A now shrunken Diane called to the slowly undressing Elizabeth from the steaming spring water. Merlin had said the water was filled with minerals that were sure to heal any ailment and relax even the sorest of muscles. All three were beyond thrilled to be getting the chance to take a dip.

Both Merlin and Diane were already in the water. Diane splashing around without a care in the world, while Merlin closed her eyes, completely relaxed. They had been quick to disrobe. Neither showing a lick of shame for their bare skin.

Elizabeth giggled, "Alright," she said, hanging her remaining garments over the same branch as the others had and then with a towel pressed against her chest to hide the necessities, she scampered to the edge of the pool where she stepped in as slowly as possible.

The water was perfect. Hot, but not scorching. And with the water being clouded with all of the natural minerals, she didn't need to cover herself, placing the towel she had brought on a branch hanging conveniently over the edge of the water.

She sighed deeply, enjoying the way the steam opened her airways and allowed her to breathe even deeper. The warmth seeped into every tender muscle and sore spot on her body, even spots she didn't realize were sore. The wave of relief that washed over her from her toes to the top of her silver-haired head made her sigh in satisfaction.

… when Diane gasped loudly.

"W-What is it, Diane?" Elizabeth turned quickly, looking around to spot whatever had alarmed the giantess, only to find that the woman was staring wide eyed at **_her_** , face a flush in something close to beet-red and hands pressed over her mouth in her embarrassment.

"My, that's quite the offending mark…" Merlin mused, and Elizabeth's hand once again went to touch the bruise that had formed over her shoulder with wide eyes and a blush of her own blooming brilliantly over her cheeks.

"I-Is it that bad?" Elizabeth's worrying voice erupted as she maneuvered her head to see the part of her shoulder that was hidden by her inability to see past her chin. Over the last few days, she hadn't paid it much mind, as most, if not all of her… "trophies" as Merlin had eloquently put it, were hidden by her clothes. Out of sight, out of mind.

Merlin chuckled, water rippling around her ample bosom as she laughed, lounging with arms draped over a root that protruded into the hot spring, "Dear, 'bad' was when I saw it the first time, nearly five days ago. What you have there is something far nastier than what I saw. The captain really got you good," she hummed, obviously entertained by how flustered it made her. That was to say, VERY flustered. She was more aware of her body at that moment than she ever had been before.

Diane's eyes were round saucers, and their conversation had caught the attention of a certain worrisome pig as he too trotted over to stare shocked at the large, now-black and yellowing bruise that covered the majority of her shoulder and the spattering of other bluish marks over her chest and back.

"The captain did that?! He practically turned you into a chew toy!" Diane sputtered, while Hawk growled something about what being arrested for murder would be like for a pig, and finding that he didn't care. He was beginning to look more like steamed pork than he did a pig. If he turned any redder from his anger, he might cook himself!

Subconsciously, Elizabeth began to sink herself lower into the water in an attempt to hide the evidence of her passionate night with Meliodas. But, it was too late.

Diane looked like she was about to explode, the way her lips trembled as they were pursed together. As if the act of holding her lips together like that would keep everything from spilling out. Unfortunately, for Elizabeth, that would not be the case… Diane finally groaned, clenching her fists tight and very quickly approaching the silverette and grabbing her by the shoulders.

"Elizabeth! I've done my best… I really have… but…" the giantess nibbled her bottom lip in nervousness, her hands slightly tremblingly as she gripped Elizabeth's shoulder's a little tighter as if to steel herself for her next words.

"B-but?" Elizabeth mimicked, finding herself afraid. What on earth could Diane fear? Was she angry with her? Had she done something wrong?

"I have to know!" The giantess announced, resolve setting on her face as she stared at Elizabeth seriously, and the hot spring went silent for a moment before Merlin's amused chuckle broke the quiet.

What? S-she… had to know? Know what?

That same beet-red ran rampant over Diane's face again, making her look sheepish as her amethyst eyes darted away from their eye-lock, "W-what I mean is…" she swallowed, "W-what was it like? I mean… with the captain?"

It was the silverette's turn to look sheepish as she finally grasped what the giantess was asking. She wanted to know… about that?!

"Mmm… Yes, I too am curious about that. Please, Elizabeth, regale us with the tale of your night alone with our dear captain," Merlin practically purred, her eyes a shade darker, looking somewhat sinister the way her lips curled up at the corners.

Diane smiled as her face swiveled between Elizabeth and Merlin, pleased that she wasn't the only one intrigued. Elizabeth, however, was mortified. They wanted her to – but she just… how could she just… It wasn't like…

Her mind was muddled in her embarrassment. Her body was hot as her flush reached down over her chest, "B-b-but… I-I… wouldn't even know where to start!" she stuttered the first excuse that came to mind, but the way the mage's eyes narrowed mischievously on her, she knew she hadn't avoided her fate.

"The beginning is usually the best place; don't you think? Like, why you were at the tavern alone in the first place?" The ravenette pressed. Was this a story or an interrogation? Why did Elizabeth feel like she was on trial all of a sudden?

"O-oh… uh… well… I," if she had any confidence, she felt it all drain away as Diane watched her with barely contained excitement and curiosity, "I went back… t-to… apologize to Sir Meliodas," she finished, unable to hold either of the ladies' gazes in her own awkwardness. She chewed on the inside of her cheek as her minds' eye was thrown back into that fitfully passionate night.

"Apologize? For what?" the giantess' question only made Elizabeth that much more self-conscious. Mostly because this was all so personal… and partially because…

"Well… I may have overheard your conversation in the room at the castle. I-I overheard that Sir Meliodas was acting strangely, because of me, and I was afraid he was angry with me."

Merlin's expression had shifted the slightest bit, but gave nothing away as to her thoughts on the matter – though much to Elizabeth's relief, she didn't seem mad, "I see, so you overheard our conversation and decided it best to go see him? Why not ask for one of us to escort you?"

The silverette felt so small compared to the mage then, like a child being lightly scolded by their parent, "You had all been so adamant about not telling me where he was. When Sir King told me Sir Meliodas was back at the tavern, I knew I couldn't ask. I didn't think any of you would have taken me."

The mage shared a sidelong look with Diane, then turned her returning smile back to Elizabeth while readjusting herself in the water, "So, you made your way back to the tavern dressed in nothing more than a nightgown and…?" Merlin faded, allowing the silence to act as the blank for the silverette to fill.

"W-well," that damned flush only seemed to grow brighter and hotter. Surely, **_she_** was the one heating the pool at this point, "I saw that he looked upset, or he was in pain, but he refused to let me help. He kept trying to send me away-"

Merlin had begun to hum in curiosity with a finger pressed to her chin, but Diane startled Elizabeth out of her story when she gripped her shoulders again, "Yeah, yeah, skip to the good part! What was it LIKE? How did you end up with all the bruises?" apparently, excitement had out-weighed the giantess' embarrassment and modesty as she pressed Elizabeth.

"Yeah! If he was trying to send you away, how come you got so beat up?!" Hawk stormed on the sidelines of the hot spring. Were there fumes coming off of his backside?

Elizabeth was the shade of the ripest of tomatoes. How was she supposed to describe something like **_that_**?! Thankfully, Merlin's resounding musical chuckle interrupted one more, "Diane, the woman has nothing to compare it to! It was her first time, after all."

Somehow… that didn't help.

Hawk was stone-faced. Apparently he was so far beyond angry he had roasted himself into the color of ash, whispering under his breath about avenging her innocence…

In the reprieve Merlin's comment had given her as everyone's attentions were taken away from her, Elizabeth allowed herself to slip back into the memories of that night. Her body reacting immediately to the shift in her focus. She didn't know much about… those kinds of relations. It was true. But what she did know was that her night alone with the captain of the sins, was something… special. It was not what she knew to be a typical tryst, but he was not a typical man.

And she was not a typical woman.

That night had been special. A freeing experience. She had thrown caution to the wind and let Meliodas show her a side of herself she didn't know was hidden right there beneath her skin. And yet… she was ashamed of that. Ashamed she had given in so easily.

 _You don't have to decide right now, Elizabeth_ , she heard his voice fill her head and she nodded as if he were the one holding her in place by her shoulders. He was right. She couldn't keep beating herself up over this… There would be time to figure it all out later.

As if Merlin could sense Elizabeth's reticence to speaker further about the subject, the mage piped up with a wiggle to her brow bringing everyone's attention to her, "What about you Diane? I've seen you and King getting awfully close recently. Have **_you_** done the deed?"

Diane flashed the mage the widest, most horrified eyes Elizabeth had ever seen on the woman, "W-WHA – NO, OF COURSE NOT! W-why would you even ask that?" she swung her head back and forth, pigtails flying wildly as she did.

The giantess' outburst surprised… well… everyone watching. Elizabeth was under the assumption that Sir King and Diane were a couple. Was that not actually the case?

Realizing she had reacted in the way she had, Diane was quick to double back, suddenly sinking lower into the water as if it would hide her embarrassment, "B-b-but… that doesn't mean… I don't w-w-want to…" she murmured, the visage of innocence, despite the subject matter.

Elizabeth giggled, it was far easier talking about the subject of love when you weren't the one under scrutiny. But it didn't take a careful eye to know that Diane knew what she wanted, "You and king obviously love each other," the silverette hummed softly, eyes reflecting the same warm smile she gave the giantess.

Diane's face softened into a loving smile as well, as her cheeks blossomed with a beautiful blush, "Yeah…" she whispered, without hesitation.

For a moment… just a moment… Elizabeth envied the sin of envy. To have so much faith in her decision to love with all her being; if only the silverette could find the courage to make that choice…

Choosing to not be the center of attention any longer, Diane turned a pointed look on the mage, hands securely pressed to her hips, "What about you Merlin?"

Yes, Elizabeth was curious about that as well. Well, perhaps maybe not the extent that Diane was, but she was certainly curious as to the experience Merlin had in relationships.

Merlin let out a soft chuckle, placing a finger over her lips as if to silence them, "A lady never kisses and tells," she sang in a low sultry tone, a spark of mischief shining in her eyes.

* * *

Special Preview of Chapter 19: Damned if I Don't

Tessa opened her eyes to the sound of tearing cloth, her sweat-beaded brow raising curiously at the sight in front of her.

The blonde captain had just torn open her pant leg around the protruding kunai embedded deep in her thigh. Either he hadn't noticed she was watching him, or he didn't care, as he inspected the wound silently and pulled a few items from his vest and trouser pockets.

"Alright… I'll bite. What the hell do you think you're doing?" her voice was hoarser than she would have liked when speaking to the enemy, and a lot breathier, as she was panting through her wound-induced fever. But under the circumstances, it couldn't be helped. In some circles, though, she was pretty sure this was considered harassment.


	22. Chapter 19: Damned if I Don't

**HEY EVERYONE!**

 **I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. Between having to adult, having school, working on my novel, and messing up my wrist, it was VERY hard to get to writing this chapter. Next chapter is nearly done though so it shouldn't take 2 weeks to get out! ALSO: Another chapter with the most reviews I've seen on a chapter! You guys are amazing! So as a thank you there is a special sneak peak at the end!**

 **REVIEWS:**

Makato ****mei keyom ** _: HERE YA GO! NEXT CHAPTER!_**

smjieg ** _: I'm so sorry I couldn't get this out on your birthday! I_** tried ** _though, I did a lot of writing that day! Happy belated birthday!_**

 ** _tnw0918: WELCOME! Thank you so much for such wonderfully kind words! I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!_**

direwolfscry ** _: I'M SO SORRY!_**

 ** _Luv: I'm so glad you enjoyed that fight scene! That makes me super happy! It's hard writing fight scenes_** some times ** _, but with Tessa, it kinda just flows... Perhaps you WILL know what Merlin's been up to soon!_**

 ** _BettyBest2: As always, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter!_** Hopefully ** _there will be more answers ahead!_**

woundedowl ** _: YOU HAVE RETURNED TO ME! YAY! I'm so glad you like/hate this story. I know you want her to remember... I do too! I PROMISE! hahaha. BY THE WAY, I laughed so hard at your way of reminding her of their past... I may just use it. Table and all... ;)_**

 ** _Stormie: PERHAPS I WAS LEAVING THE BEST FOR LAST! MUHAHAHAH_**

 ** _Kairi Asakura: YAY! Yeah, those other warnings will show up soon. keep an eye out!_**

Jenarla ** _xXx: I can't be kind to her! Then I'd have to be kind to all of them, and I can't do that either! Perhaps there will be more Merlin focus coming up here soon?_**

 ** _Lick: Sorry, no flashbacks. I may give you something else later_** instead ** _though... Your wish is my command this chapter lick..._**

muggleblue ** _: HERE YA GO!_**

lickitysplit ** _: THEORIES?! MUST KNOW YOUR THEORIES!_**

 ** _EarthenKnight: WELCOME! I'm so glad you liked this chapter! I keep saying it, but Tessa is one of my favorite bad guys I've ever written for. Seriously. MAYBE she didn't put up more of a fight on purpose? WHO KNOWS?! I also love Merlin and want to get that bitch in bed. FOR REAL._**

 ** _Cerulean Grace: I would never drop the story! Can't do that. I'm a completionist. It would literally kill me. I think I'm with you, I'd be pretty upset if no one told me. No matter the intentions. I'm so glad you love the story so much! Makes me super happy!_**

 **As always thank you, everyone who reviews, comments, PMS, reads, favorites, and follows. You guys make me so incredibly happy. It is a privilege to write for such wonderful people.**

 **I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!**

* * *

 **Chapter 19: Damned if I Don't**

"Elizabeth! Those bruises go all the way down!" Diane shouted, pulling at the silverette's towel. She was under intense scrutiny again. She had made the mistake of being the first to get out of the wonderfully soothing hot springs, and Diane had locked on to the "trophies" descending down her stomach and thighs. The majority of which were also usually hidden by her clothes…

"That one looks like a handprint!" the ever-curious giantess pointed at her low-hip, giving up on stealing Elizabeth's towel as the silverette held on to it with an impossibly strong grip.

"WHAT?!" Hawk was a charred ball of flames. He was keeping his eyes covered with his ears as the ladies WERE standing there completely naked – it was only polite – but he looked so far beyond livid that Elizabeth almost felt bad for the blonde captain… he was certainly going to have to deal with him when they returned, and she wasn't sure Meliodas was going to get out of it very easily.

Merlin merely smiled to herself, looking far too pleased, but didn't say a word as she too stepped out of the water. Her exit from the springs was captivating, quickly silencing both Elizabeth's fretting cries for Diane to stop yanking on her towel, and Diane's constant comments about the shapes of her bruises. The water that beaded on the mage's skin dripped down her unabashed form as she stood completely bare to them. She smiled with raised brow when she caught them gaping at her, then snapped her fingers. In a whirl-wind that momentarily blinded the silverette and giantess, Merlin's revealing clothes were returned to her body and all water seemed to have disappeared from her.

"Show off…" Diane grumbled at the haughty mage, and Elizabeth chuckled, pulling her clothes from the branch they hung from.

"Time sure does fly when you're having fun, huh?" Diane hummed, a little skip in her step as the three of them plus a fuming pig walked back out of the forest from the hot spring. To them, time just seemed to skip on by, as it was already late afternoon and their hands (well, save for Merlin's for some odd reason) were all pruned from the water, before they decided it was time to head back to the tavern.

"I hope the boys were able to find something to do on their day off as well!" Elizabeth smiled, feeling considerably more relaxed now, after the dip in the soothing hot mineral waters and despite the barrage of questions about her… personals.

"I hope Meliodas enjoyed his last day on the planet…" Hawk growled under his breath, making the ladies all chuckle together.

The edge of the clearing was ahead, and through the trees they could see the tavern. At least the bar was still in one piece. Elizabeth had a sneaking suspicion that the guys enjoyed far more violent hobbies for their day off, when the ladies weren't around.

As they all took their next collective step together, Merlin's gait faltered. "Oh dear…" she mumbled, as her eyes flicked away from the tavern to the open clearing ahead, face set in an amused but slightly… annoyed expression.

"What is it Lady Merlin?"

Elizabeth looked between the quickly recovering mage and the clearing, before some blooming fear in the pit of her stomach sent her bolting through the tree line. _Please let him be okay…_

* * *

Meliodas stood with arms crossed watching, perhaps a little unhappily, as Ban had his way with their prisoner. This was almost cruel and unusual punishment. She already had knives stuck in her like some life-sized pin-cushion. What was the point in Ban goading her with threats?

The sin of greed leaned over the woman, having thrown one too many (or maybe twenty – too – many) punches at the restrained horseman before the sin captain managed to coax him into NOT killing her, pulling her bloodied face up by her chin rather roughly so that she was glaring at him, "You better start talking or next time, capn's not gunna be able to keep me from torturing your ass to death," he sneered. Meliodas hadn't seen Ban so ready to torture someone before. Perhaps the horseman had gotten to him?

The horseman they now knew to be pestilence grinned slightly, her dull blue eyes practically begging for further punishment the way they dared the fox on, "Bite me," she croaked and winced through her grin as Ban twisted the kunai in her shoulder.

"Did you just say torture?"

Damnit…

Meliodas' eyes shut and he cringed slightly as he hoped against hope that he had imagined her voice flitting to meet his ears. No, the goddesses could not be this cruel. This was all supposed to be sorted out before the ladies had returned. There was no way time had passed that quickly…

Meliodas turned, and despite his wishing he wasn't right, there she stood. Elizabeth was careening her head to see the scene they all had places in. To an outsider, this probably didn't look very good for them. Four men, without a scratch surrounding a woman tethered to a tree with more than a fair share of wounds. There were fucking knives sticking out of her skin! Meliodas had the sudden urge to assure the silverette that it wasn't what it looked like, but in all honesty… it was. It was exactly what it looked like.

The others had managed to catch up to Elizabeth, but didn't look on surprised at all. Because everyone had been in on it. Well, aside from Hawk who was just as shocked by the scene, but less vocal about it. Silver linings, and all that.

Merlin shot him an annoying grin from behind the silverette. The look on her face practically dripping with the words, "I told you so" and "I did my part, what went wrong on yours?"

Their plan hadn't exactly taken in to account the fact that he wanted to keep the horseman alive, while the others did not. So, technically, he was the hitch in his own damn plan. How ironic.

Elizabeth searched all of their faces, finally resting her gaze on him, waiting for him to confirm or deny her question, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. His silence was enough. Her expression shifted as she searched his face. It was a mixture of profound confusion and perhaps a dash of disgust. He didn't blame her for that one, but it didn't make it sting any less.

"What is going on?" she asked, and again, everyone remained quiet. Most of them looking to him to answer her. In the silence that stretched, the only thing to break the heavy tension was the horseman's heaving gurgled coughs.

"Can we get on with this?" the unwanted guest rasped, head rolling back against the bark of the tree. She was obviously in pain the way her brow was slick with sweat, but she put on a pretty decent poker face.

Ban was just about to spin around again when Elizabeth's face lit up with horrified recognition. She closed the gap, trying to get closer and Meliodas stepped in front of her – mostly in a habit of protecting her, but she probably didn't see it that way. "You have to let her go!" Elizabeth's blue eyes darted up worriedly at the horseman pinned to the tree, then back to him. Those ocean blue depths pleading with him.

The sin captain almost faltered, "I can't do that, Elizabeth," he spoke evenly yet soft so as to not come off as being threatening.

Her brows knit together, face completely overcome with fear and anger, "No! You don't understand! This woman saved me!"

As he thought. He had his suspicions that pestilence had been the reason Elizabeth had managed to get away from the dusk bison she claimed to have seen, but until then, all he had were theories.

Why would a horseman serving under Atlas save one of their targets? No, that wasn't important right now…

"When that dusk bison attacked in the forest, this woman saved my life! You have to let her go!" Elizabeth continued, gesturing to the tree with a hand.

"I told you, I can't do that," he pressed right back, standing his ground. Before she could ask the question he knew she would follow up with, he continued, "Elizabeth, this woman is bad news. She's one of the servants of a guy we've been hunting. The whole reason we're traveling right now. We need the information she's keeping."

It was killing him, watching Elizabeth's expression turn incredulous. He had never seen her so passionately angry about something before. He would have found it incredibly arousing if HE wasn't the one she was pissed off at, which made it all the more difficult to stand behind his words. The silverette searched each of them now, growing more and more frustrated before her eyes finally cast to the ground at Meliodas' feet.

"What's the difference?" she growled softly, before fiery resolve-filled blue orbs met him again, "You saved me, right?"

Meliodas' brows had knit together in his own confusion at her first question, but then was struck dumb by the implications she was throwing at him. His eyes widening and mouth falling open slightly. Those words hit him full speed, and they stung worse than any wound could. "I'm not like her," his voice came off with a hint of warning to it that he hadn't intended to be there.

"So you say," Elizabeth bit back, "All I know is that you're all criminals. And you're telling me that this woman is supposed to be one too? A bad guy?" she waved at the horseman again, but Meliodas' eyes remained glued to hers. "What is the difference?! You saved me even though you were a criminal." She paused, breathing heavy, hoping her words were sinking in. "She saved me too."

There was a heavy silence in the clearing again. This time, even the horseman remained silent, in anticipation of what he would do.

"Look, Elizabeth, you don't know what's going on here. This bitch is trying to kill us!" Ban erupted, probably anxious to get back to his torturing, but flinched back when the silverette shot him the angriest look to pass over her features yet. Reminding Meliodas that he never wanted to see her this angry ever again… especially not at himself.

"It doesn't look that way to me." Her attention returned to Meliodas and she squared up to him, looking ever the royal she didn't remember she was, "If you don't release her, I won't speak to you again until you do."

Ban scoffed, rolling his eyes with a hint of amusement, but Meliodas was struck by the ultimatum she was giving him.

This was almost as bad as not having her at all. He couldn't stand her being angry with him. It riled his blood and agitated him to no end. But he was eternally grateful that she wasn't threatening to leave. He hated the idea… but at least she would still be there where he could protect her…

Forgive me, Elizabeth… One day, you'll understand…

Meliodas' face softened, and it broke his heart the way her eyes lit up hopeful that she had reached him, "I'm sorry Elizabeth… I can't just let her go. She's dangerous, and we need her information."

Elizabeth's jaw clenched tight and she looked at him like he was a stranger all over again. It was enough to nearly break him. She pushed past him, walking towards the horseman.

"She's injured…" The silverette growled, but was caught surprised when Ban stepped in front of her this time, arms folded over his chest.

"Sorry Ellie," he said, not sounding sorry at all. The least the guy could do was wipe that stupidly cocky grin of his face…

"She's injured, Sir Ban!" Elizabeth pressed, but Ban was even more immobile on the subject than Meliodas was.

"Yeah, she'll be even more so when I'm done with her."

One last time, Elizabeth turned to look at everyone around her, hoping that one of them would agree with her, stand up with her. But, no one did. Finally, she found that she couldn't look at any of them anymore. With a glare cast to the ground she mumbled, "You're all monsters," before she stormed off back to the tavern. Hawk very quickly following after her and Diane calling her name as she too gave chase.

With Elizabeth gone from the clearing, Ban let out a low whistle, "Damn… the princess has some fire in those eyes. What's the sayin? If looks could kill? I was sure you'd break when she threatened you cap'n!" he let out a rolling laugh at his own joke, but Meliodas found nothing funny about any of this. "Now, back to this one," Ban zeroed in on their captive with renewed rapt attention, but he didn't make any moves. Waiting for the captain's go-ahead before continuing where he had left off.

Meliodas watched the long since closed tavern door and growled as he shook his head, eyes locking on the two most interested in delving out their own personal forms of justice, and the one that was there for the learning experience, "Do what you have to, but leave her alive," he ordered, shooting a particularly warning glare at Ban, who waved him off.

"Yeah, yeah…"

* * *

Tessa had to give it to Ban the undead… He certainly knew how to throw a right hook. When she came too, it was already late into the night. The man had knocked her out with the last of his blows. Thank the goddesses for that; she had been getting bored. That being said, she was definitely sore. That last hit had nearly unhinged her jaw. Hell, even now, she was seeing stars. And not the ones twinkling high above either.

She was finding it hard to keep her eyes open, so she just kept them closed. Evaluating the extent of her wounds through feeling alone. She could still feel the kunai embedded in her body. Bastards… she probably would have done the same to them…

Her breathes came out in little puffs as it hurt to breathe any deeper, and her body was trembling. Damn… a fever too? This was so inconvenient… She had too much to do to be playing this game with the sins…

Tessa opened her eyes to the sudden sound of tearing cloth, her sweat-beaded brow raising curiously at the sight in front of her. Lost in her thoughts, she hadn't heard him approach, but there he was, clear as day.

The blonde captain had just torn open her pant leg around the protruding kunai embedded deep in her leg. Either he hadn't noticed she was watching him, or he didn't care, as he inspected the wound silently and pulled a few items from his vest and trouser pockets.

"Alright… I'll bite. What the hell do you think you're doing?" her voice was hoarser than she would have liked when speaking to the enemy, and a lot breathier, as she was panting through her wound-induced fever. But under the circumstances, it couldn't be helped. In some circles, though, she was pretty sure this was considered harassment.

Green eyes met her, "If you don't get those knives out soon, they'll get infected," he stated matter-of-factly, returning to his supplies and unwrapping a long roll of bandage gauze. "And since you're a little… tied up at the moment, I thought I would lend a hand."

Was this a joke? She watched him skeptically for a moment trying to judge his seriousness – determining that he had every intention of stitching her up, and she was not entirely sure why, "What do you fucking care if it does? I'm a prisoner of war – a captive, it's an occupational hazard."

The sin captain had the nerve to chuckle! On top of that, he just continued working as if she hadn't said a damn thing! What the hell was with this guy? Didn't he realize she was better off dead to him?

He folded a thick towel he had laid out, many times until it was a long roll and then held it up to her mouth, "Here, bite down," he instructed. She looked from the towel to the man and rolled her eyes. As if she needed it…

"Just pull it out," she spat, annoyed by his persistence. Whatever to get the man out of her hair. The towel wasn't going to make it hurt any less.

Meliodas shrugged, throwing the towel away before wrapping his hand around the kunai handle, "Alright, on three-"

"Just fucking do it already!" she snarled. She was tired of being played around with!

The blonde didn't hesitate. By the end of her growl, he yanked the sharp knife from her leg, pulling it clean from the skin that had already formed over the protruding hilt, before her powers were sealed by the cuffs. Tessa hissed, sealing her lips tight with her teeth to hold in the scream building in her throat. Her nostrils flared as she sucked in air and forced it through her lungs then back out of her nose several times as her body pulsed and mind flashed with the pain.

Meliodas watched on with a hint of mild fascination (or was he impressed that she had the kahunas to just rip it out like a band aid?) as she continued to breathe through her pain, then went to work blotting the blood flowing anew. "Hmmm? Interesting… even your blood is black." The blonde hummed, examining his hands after he had clotted most of the blood flow. "I'm curious, were you born with those shadow powers, or-"

Tessa turned exasperated dull blue eyes on the man. Where did this guy get off? First, he imposes himself on her, now he was asking her these personal questions? What the hell? Obviously, this was a ploy to get more information out of her. And she wasn't going to crack just because he was stitching her up.

"hmmm… acquired, huh?" he grinned when her exasperation turned to surprise. "That's a pretty nasty power. The process must have been pretty painful."

How the fuck could he possibly know that?

Tessa swallowed, her eyes searching his face as he focused diligently on wrapping the unraveled gauze tightly around her leg. This man, this idiot who thought he could win her over with promises of mercy and treating her wounds, was reading her life as if it were written on her skin. A wide open book. Hell, it was a fucking PICTURE BOOK, the way he read her.

She turned away from him as those memories floated to the surface, making her cringe slightly. Try as she might to forget the images and sounds, they filled her and she was in that cavern again.

Deep below the Direneth castle.

Atlas had asked her to follow him down a long stairwell. The decent had taken so long, she was sure they were nearing the center of the earth. The stairwell narrowed the further they went, and though she was not known for claustrophobia, this place was certainly making her believe she could develop it. When they finally reached the landing, she released a breath she hadn't known she had been holding.

The stairwell opened up into a large cavernous chamber. Stalactites hanging from every inch of the chamber ceiling like grand chandeliers… very deadly looking grand chandeliers. The chamber was lit with candles everywhere, making the shadows cast over the stalactites dance ominously as the flames flickered with air flowing through the chamber.

The prince hadn't said a word to her since he had asked her to follow him, but now the silence between them was interrupted by a stocky man in over-sized robes. He looked like one of the many who were usually fretting behind the royals. They were called… priests or…

"Your highness, I don't think this one is ready…" the man announced, having taken a long displeased look at Tessa and addressed the prince, as if continuing a conversation, she hadn't known the two were having.

This one? Ready for what?

"Are you disobeying me?" Atlas's voice was easy, with his raised brow, knowing that no one would dare go against his wishes… she knew from experience that it didn't end well.

"I – no, your highness…" the man fumbled, stepping aside to allow the prince and her to continue down a path through stone columns and candles on tall pedestals. Ahead of them, at the end of the path on the far end of the chamber were more robed figures. Conversations and chatter died as the prince approached, and they all parted like the sea in his presence.

"Tessa, come here," he called, motioning with his hand to the single raised step he stood on and something past it that she couldn't see.

Hesitantly, and swallowing heavily, Tessa took slow steps to the raised step, eyes flicking to the faces of the robed men as she went. All of them looking on her like an artifact of some kind.

She careened her head so that she could see past the step as she climbed it. On the other side of the incline was a stone well dug into the ground, the edge of which situated at her feet. It must have been a deep well, because all she could see was pitch black.

Such a strange thing to have buried so deep beneath the castle and in such a creepy ritualistic looking room…

"What is it?" she found herself asking, unable to discern the importance… why would the prince lead her to this well? What was all of this about?

She turned to see him smiling at her, face dancing in the same ominous candle light as the stones handing above. That same smile from the day he had saved her from her execution… That same smile that taught her what real fear was…

"Your destiny…" his smile only deepened as he reached out and pushed Tessa into the well.

What she mistook for depth was a pitch black tar that the well held. And from the moment her skin made contact, she was consumed with an agony so intense, wishing for death wasn't even an option. Her body was eaten alive. Her soul torn to shreds. Every cell in her being burned away and replaced by the tar like sludge that was being absorbed into her. She couldn't scream, she could not fight. The last thing she remembered before her vision was robbed from her was Atlas' confident grin as he spoke to his advisors, "She won't die…"

Tessa let out a horribly pained cry that was suddenly muffled, her mind forced to come back to present day by the sin captain yanking the kunai from her stomach, then reaching up to cover her mouth, "Let's not let everyone know I'm out here, okay?" he asked, unapologetically. Her voice was swallowed by her throat, closing against the pain, otherwise she would have cursed him out.

Meliodas grinned, removing his hand from her mouth to continue his work, "Figured you wouldn't want the towel again," he reasoned with a shrug, answering what he assumed was her unspoken question. In reality she was wanting to ask him which way he dreaded most to die, so that she could make it so that was the way he would go when she got her hands on him… A slow painfully horrific death of his choosing…

Just her way of thanking him for his… kindness.

The wound on her stomach had taken less time to patch up than her leg had, but the blonde still found it necessary to try and sneak in conversation where he could, "So, since yours was acquired, I'm guessing the one who looks like you, the puppet master, her powers were acquired too, right?"

Tessa had been prepared for this line of questioning, and because she was half caught in her own memories anyways, she didn't give anything away with wayward looks.

It was a fair question though. And he was correct in his assumption. Deidra had received her powers in a fashion very much like her… excruciatingly painful. However, that was the only similarity. Her sister had given herself over to their prince far sooner than Tessa had. Deidra had found who she thought was her soul mate. A soul as demented and deranged as she was.

"Alright, last one…"

Tessa braced herself as his hand wrapped around the last of the kunai in her shoulder. Without another moment's hesitation, he yanked it clean out of her skin and muscle and waited until she stopped writhing in the pain before applying pressure to the open wound.

The whole ordeal was leaving her rather exhausted…

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Meliodas produced a skewered piece of cooked meat and presented it to her, holding it up so that she could easily lean forward and take a bite. An action she did not do as she stared back and forth between the sin captain and the food. Where the hell had he been storing that?!

"It's poisoned…" she muttered.

Meliodas' brow shot up, "If I planned on killing you, why would I stitch you up first?"

She watched him carefully, completely content with going hungry when her stomach roared to life with the prospect of food.

The cocky look on the sin's face pissed her off to no end…

She leaned forward, and with teeth barred, she chomped down on the meat to warn that he would be next if she were ever given the opportunity to bite the hell out of him. She sat back chewing, before her face screwed up into disgust and she spat the meat out, "What the hell was that?!"

"Home recipe… guess it wasn't very good, huh?" he asked curiously as she dry heaved with the residual taste left in her mouth.

Home recipe her ass! That shit was poisoned without a doubt. Any moment she would drop dead…

Meliodas chuckled at her despair as he took some cotton in a pair of long tweezers, careful to keep his fingers out of her reach, while he cleaned the dried blood from her face and chin. Probably the smartest thing he'd done thus far.

Time stretched on, the night only growing darker as the sin worked on cleaning her up. She avoided his eyes as he focused on her face… but she couldn't help but think about how futile this all was… Why bother?

"Why are you doing this? You have to realize I'm willing to take my secrets to the grave. So…?" she asked softly, eyes cast to the side, doing her best not to move.

The blonde's focused expression did not change as he continued to clean the last of her wounds. He was so determined to keep her in good health… It was annoying.

"I have my reasons," he said finally, again, without as much of a twitch of his face. Nothing to give away what his thoughts were. Such an enigmatic man. Stupid… and full of annoying surprises. Tessa hated when she couldn't read her enemy. "Alright, I'm done," he finally grinned, pulling back to look over his handy-work.

What reasons could this man possibly have for wanting to keep someone like her, alive? She kept her eyes cast away from him as she considered it. He had to know that she would pose a threat to them… she would not be swayed away from her purpose, which meant the moment she had any semblance of power, they were in trouble…

So… why?

"So, are you going to tell me anything?" Meliodas asked, his light voice giving away his hopefulness. And she couldn't help the disbelieving expression that crossed her features then.

 _No such luck, Dragon Sin. You haven't won me over_ , "Yes. You're an idiot."

The blonde frowned, feigning feelings hurt, "That's not very nice…" he sighed, leaning back to watch her in the light they had from the moon.

Tessa scoffed, turning her annoyed gaze elsewhere. Didn't this guy have princesses to molest or something? "Well, you tried to poison me, so we're even." She spat dryly. Yeah… still a little sore about that one.

"It wasn't poisoned, I'm just a terrible cook." He shrugged, the grin returning to his face in record speed.

Terrible wasn't nearly the word she would use to describe it. If he wanted to kill her, he should have just left the knives in, "Same difference."

* * *

"Thank you for your business!" An older man called into a pub before closing the door with a victorious smile over his lips.

This was the last of his ale deliveries for some time, and he had made quite the decent profit from the sales of his fine stock of ales from all over Britannia. It was a hobby of his. Collecting the best of the best. It was his pride that kept him at it. As he did claim to be one of the best at procuring the finest in quality ales, he had quite the reputation to keep up.

The gentleman passed by a community board, but stopped, coming back to read the largest of the posters adorning the little town announcement board. It was a colorfully painted poster advertising the carnival coming up in the next few days. It was the very reason he had brought ale to this otherwise quiet town.

This particular carnival boasted some of the best in entertainment and extravagances one could only get from here, outside of the kingdom of Camelot.

"Perhaps I should stay for the carnival?" the man hummed, leaning in closely to read the poster with his spectacles, "I'm not meant to meet the others for some time still. I could probably take some time to enjoy the festivities!" he chimed happily, standing up straight.

Just as he began to step away from the board, a stray paper flitting in the wind plastered itself over his face, as if the wind were ashamed of him. He pulled the paper from his face, distraught and ready to apologize to the world for his weak and useless existence when a familiar scent wafted to his mustached nose.

A scent that had his heart fluttering like a young school boy. This was not the world shunning him, this was something far more precious. "Lady Merlin…" he sighed happily, unfolding the paper and reading its contents. The longer he read though, the more concerned his features grew.

The festival would have to wait…

* * *

 ** _SPEAK PEAK of Chapter 20: Damned if I do_**

 _"Ignorance must truly be bliss, huh?"_

 _Tessa's voice brought Elizabeth to look back up at her as the woman's eyes trained on her seriously now. There was an emotion there that the silverette couldn't quite place, "I-I'm sorry?" she hadn't even noticed the woman had stopped laughing._

 _"It must be nice to forget everything. No cares. No worries. Just a blank slate." Tessa's head leaned back so that it was resting on the bark of the tree trunk, and she was gazing down at Elizabeth through half closed lids._

 _How did this woman know?_

 _"Did you know me before I lost my memories?" Elizabeth asked in a far calmer voice than she thought possible with the resounding beating in her chest. Everyone surely heard her heart thundering, right?_

 _Tessa scoffed, finding something funny in the question, "Know," she put emphasis on the word, "is not exactly the word I would call it. But we were acquainted," she finished, with a roll of her eyes._


	23. Chapter 20: Damned if I Do

**HELLO ALL!**

 **I managed to get this out in less than two weeks... I meant to get it out a little sooner, but something else held my attention for a while.**

 **So shameless self-promotion time:**

 **I recently started a collaborative story with lickitysplit! It's called "In Love and War". It's such a fantastic concept, I just couldn't refuse! And it's all from Meliodas' point of view! How great is that?! You guys should go and read it when you have a chance. It would mean the world to me!**

 **OKAY! Self-promotion done. We keep hitting those high reviews! You guys rock my world! So as a thank you, there will be a little treat for you at the end!**

 **REVIEWS:**

illiy _ **: I'm so**_ grateful _ **that you check back so often! Sorry for making you wait so long!**_

 _ **anna: Here you are dear!**_

 _ **makato: Sorry for making you wait! Here's the latest chapter!**_

 _ **Lick: Hell yeah she did! Merlin wouldn't be Merlin without a little showboating. Poor Ban got so much gruff the last... I dunno... ten chappies? I wanted to give him some revenge.**_

 _ **Dr4gonIc3F34th3r: RIGHT?! That man is whipped! Eventually, he'll admit it... I think lol...**_

 _ **BettyBest2: You tell her, Betty! I'm so glad you're excited for his arrival! It should be FUN!**_

Jenarla _ **xXx: Do you spy it? MAYHAPS? Well, Tessa is my favorite bad guy... can't just leave her bleeding to death... that would make it no fun. Nope. Deidra is a damn mess. Girl needs a straight jacket!**_

 _ **NinjaKittinz: WELCOME BACK! Hopefully, your question is answered!**_

 _ **Asakura Kairi: I'm so glad you are enjoying everything! Yeah... best-laid plans and all that. Poor meli...**_

 _ **EarthenKnight: YEAH! Throttle everyone Eli! Kick some ass! Thank you so much! It means a lot that you think so highly of Tessa! Hopefully, I don't let you down this chapter!**_

 _ **muggleblue: IT MIGHT BE! Enjoy the torture. It's good for the soul!**_

 _ **Cerulean Grace: Thank you dear! This story will see the conclusion of the Horseman arc. But HINT: You should go check out my profile... Maybe you'll see something interesting there...**_

 _ **Lickitysplit: As per my chat with you, you were... more correct than I gave you credit for... MAYHAPS. lol... I'm so glad you like this story and my characters so much. It means so much to me.**_

 _ **IbeWildBella: YEAH! Woman power!**_

 _ **Jillion Tealleaf: You have been calling it for...ever. wow... yeah. You say such amazing things about me and my writing. I can't help but blush every time... YES. Her not remembering IS becoming a serious problem. And it's only going to get worse.**_

 _ **tnw0918: YAY! UPDATES! All answers revealed this chapter!**_

 _ **Stormie: I'm glad you liked that added bit. Look at you being a little jokester. LOL LUV YOU!**_

 **THANK YOU: Everyone who reads, reviews, favorites, follows, messages. Everyone. I say it all the time, but I mean every word. This is nothing if not for you. So, thank you!**

 **Without further ado, I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!**

* * *

 **Chapter 20: Damned if I Do**

Too Warm… The south was far too warm. How could anyone in their right minds enjoy living in these terrible conditions? Even with summer on its eve and fall just around the bend, the southern coasts of Britannia were so warm and humid, it made Deidra sick. She much preferred the cooler summers and frigid winters of the northern mountains that made up the terrain of the kingdom of Direneth. Cooler weather was far kinder to her complexion and fair blonde hair.

Even this late in the afternoon, when all of the moisture in the air should have evaporated away, she could still feel the stickiness of the day clinging to her skin beneath the cloak she draped over her form and head. It was disgusting. And the people milling around her, enjoying the "beauty" of the dying summer were just as much so. Perhaps she would re-enforce the number of puppets she had gathered with these people… It never hurt to have canon-fodder for the up-coming battle…

This place was just filled with nasty little worker-bees getting ready for some poor excuse of a celebration they were calling a carnival. Surely, the festivities would not be missed.

No… she couldn't do that here. It was a mistake she could not afford to make with her master's plans so perfectly laid out… No, today, she was just another hooded figure milling about with the other cockroaches. The grime of the earth. She wouldn't have to be here long, though. She was merely passing through on her way to investigate the troublesome disappearance of her twin.

That girl certainly had a way of crawling under her skin sometimes.

The prince seemed far less concerned. Much to her dismay…

She had come to his preferred chamber in the belly of the abandoned castle they were making their base, looking for her next orders when he had let it slip that Tessa's reports had stopped rather abruptly.

Deidra had fallen to her prince's feet, a woman looking to serve her master in any way she could, and when he beckoned her forward she crawled to his side. Clinging to the arm of his great throne, basking in the glory that was her royal master. The man who owned her body and soul.

"Shall I fetch her for you, your highness?" Deidra sang, hoping that her prince would grant her permission to drag her sister back by her hair should she choose to.

Her wishes were for naught though, as Prince Atlas' lips turned up amused at some unspoken joke, "No, that won't be necessary. Pestilence wouldn't fail me," he said. His words like ice in Deidra's veins.

"You put so much faith in that girl…" Deidra sighed, unable to keep the mixture of emotions from crossing her face. She was forlorn and angry. She was the one who had given over her life and soul. She was his most loyal puppet… And yet it always seemed as if his eyes were cast on Tessa.

"Stop," He growled deep in his throat, "Jealousy doesn't look good on you," he warned as his fingers lifted her chin so that she was forced to look him in the eye. Not that she fought him. Her prince knew every twisted inch of her, of course he would see the green of envy crawling over her skin.

 _I'm sorry, your highness… I cannot let the fate of your plan ride on the competence of that woman…_ Deidra thought as she made her way through the crowd. Against her master's wishes, she was on a mission to find her twin and expose her incompetence.

It was hard enough to move about this town as it was, considering the number of roaches around. How did they always manage to crowd around like this and get anything done? Deidra took one more step and it was as if she had walked into a wall. She fell backwards, her head snapping up with disdain in her eyes.

"I'm terribly sorry, My Lady!" The man spouted, bowing his head to her in his apologies then offering her his hand. What a disgusting waste of energy. Deidra narrowed her eyes on him as she grinned, ignoring his offer and climbing to her feet before brushing her cloak off. Unfortunately for him, she really had no patience for idiots… One new puppet to add to her collection wouldn't risk the prince's plans…

Deidra offered the older man the sickliest sweet smile she could offer, waving her hand in his vision to sew her threads of control into his being. The strings of her puppeteer magic weaving invisibly out from her fingertips to wrap around the unsuspecting man.

The older man's expression changed suddenly, his brows pulled together confused and eyes searched her curiously.

 _What?_

Deidra's wickedly sweet smile faltered. The man standing before her, with his distastefully large mustache looked nothing more than a waste of air – there was no magical odor wafting from his being, and yet somehow her puppeteer strings could not penetrate his body.

 _That only happens when a subject has a magical power greater than mine…_

The older man took a step back in his confusion, eyes growing more concerned as they watched her process the situation at hand. "E-Excuse me…" he muttered, maneuvering around her and bolting away.

 _You were lucky, cockroach…_ she thought as she turned to watch him make his escape. She didn't have a habit of letting her intended victims go. It was an event that happened one too many times now since the introduction of the Seven Deadly Sins to the mixture. That giant had escaped her clutches too. How unfortunate that had been. She really had been looking forward to having a giant in her puppet collection. And to see the giantess kill the fairy king? How delicious would that have been?

With a scowl in the man's direction, she turned back in the direction she had set her goals on. She had no more time to play with the scum of the earth.

* * *

There was a soft knock on the bedroom door, and Elizabeth hesitantly looked at it like the dark oak may betray her too. A completely ridiculous notion, but considering the circumstances, she couldn't help it.

It had been three days. Three days of her self-imposed isolation in the bedroom she had, up until recently, been sharing with Sir Meliodas. She refused to speak to anyone who came knocking. Every day she would look out the large window and hope that she would see the captain of the sins releasing their captive, but everyday instead what she witnessed was brutal torture. She had learned the hard way that when Sir Ban came into view, it was in her best interests to look away. Her stomach still churned thinking about the things she had seen him do.

All of this, for what? Some information?! This was cruel! She was so beyond angry… a few times she considered jumping from the small balcony and trying to release the woman. Maybe run away. She obviously didn't belong here. These people thought this was okay?! Unfortunately, there always seemed to be someone watching. And someone had said that the cuffs holding the woman were magical items. There was no way she'd be able to break them.

Meliodas' softened eyes flashed in her mind. _I can't do that, Elizabeth…_

Those green depths that always seemed to hide his emotions so well were begging her for forgiveness, for understanding.

Part of her wanted… no, wanted wasn't quite right. She **_NEEDED_** to believe that there was something more to all of this. There was no way the people she had come to know as her friends were this barbaric. At the same time, no one was telling her anything. How could she possibly understand?!

There was another knock, "Come on Elizabeth, please! It's me!" A soft anxious whine came though the door, and she climbed to her feet from the bed and went to unlock it, opening the door so that the concerned pig could enter.

Without another word, Elizabeth closed the door behind Hawk, and went to take her place back on the edge of the bed, looking out the window once more. It was already pretty late in the day. The sun was setting already.

Hawk wiggled his way up on to the bed and managed to force his way under her hand so that it was now resting on his backside, "Elizabeth… You really need to come down and eat…"

As if proving his point, Elizabeth's stomach growled loudly and she wrapped her arms around it as if the act would muffle the sounds. She hadn't eaten anything in the last few days. It was another stipulation she had made to prove how serious she was. The captive wasn't eating so neither was she. She hadn't been much in the mood for eating up till this point, anyways.

She looked back out the window at the last rays of sunlight disappearing from the sky. If she couldn't break the woman out… the least she could do was make sure she was fed.

There was a delicious smell wafting its way up the stairs, making it that much harder for the silverette to deny her own hunger. So with a soft smile at Hawk, she agreed to come down for dinner. A dinner she had no intention of eating herself. She would sneak out and take it to the woman they were keeping captive.

* * *

This was beyond miserable.

Meliodas cleaned a mug with a towel, a petulant scowl plastered over his face. He had been in a terrible mood the last couple days, and it only seemed to get worse as time marched on.

"Your girl still not talkin~? Bummer…" Ban poked at him from across the bar top, earning him a warning glance from the blonde. Ban chuckled as a response, "Hey man, I get it! But ya don't have to take it out on the mug. You've been wiping the same one for the last hour."

 _The last hour? Had it really been that long?_

Meliodas' hands stopped, and he placed the cleaned mug on the counter behind himself with a sigh.

There was a low whistle and Meliodas turned a curious look back at Ban before his eyes caught the silverette descending down the stairs. In fact, everyone in the tavern stopped what they were doing to look up at her. Elizabeth was keeping her eyes cast to the ground, following Hawk with timid steps.

Meliodas allowed a small grin over his lips at seeing her. It was hard not to. He had left her food every meal for the last three days and each time, she hadn't touched a single scrap. She wouldn't speak to anyone who came to the door.

The sin captain had a new appreciation for Hawk in that moment, and made a mental note to give the pig something special for getting Elizabeth to come out to eat.

Dinner wasn't much better though. It was… uncomfortably quiet. Elizabeth sat with all of them at the table, but she kept her eyes on her food. Food she seemed less than interested in as she pushed the stew around mindlessly. It was peculiar though. She tried to hide it with a clearing of her throat, but he had been close enough to hear the rumbling in her stomach. Then, she would glance up every once in a while to the window.

She looks so nervous… what is she waiting for?

That's when it hit him. He refrained from grinning as he continued to eat his own stew. It didn't take long for Elizabeth to stand from the table, confirming his suspicions.

"I… I'm not feeling well," she announced. It had been the first words any of them had heard from her in three days. "Excuse me, I'll finish this upstairs," she finished, gathering up her untouched soup bowl and turning to make a mad dash for the bedroom.

Before she could get far though, Meliodas reached out and grabbed the hem of her shirt, and she froze. "Stay warm tonight, okay, Elizabeth?"

She turned surprised eyes on him and nodded and he let her scamper away.

"You sure it's a good idea to let her out there?" King was the one to break the silence that filled the void of Elizabeth's absence.

He wasn't the only one who had noticed the silverette's strange behavior. They all had. And not a single person in the room was an idiot. They had all figured out her plans just by the look on her face.

The blonde sighed – he didn't like the idea, but it was all they had right now, "Torturing the horseman is getting us nowhere. But she seems to have a soft spot for Elizabeth. Maybe she'll slip up?"

Diane and Merlin were on Meliodas' side. Ban… was less than thrilled. "An' your gunna just let her go out there alone? What if that bitch does something?"

Meliodas was prepared. He knew it had only been a matter of time before something gave. He had hoped it would have been pestilence… but the horseman was true to her word. She was prepared to die to keep her secrets, and each time Ban came out to interrogate her, he got closer and closer to giving her exactly that. "We will be right here in case anything happens," he assured. "Pestilence isn't going to give anything up if she thinks we're in hearing range. Besides-"

"Besides, she wouldn't be able to do anything with my magical cancelation cuffs binding her to that tree," Merlin interjected, confident grin in place.

Gowther adjusted his glasses, "So we are commencing with the plan then, captain?"

"Yeah. No one is to interfere."

* * *

Elizabeth crept slowly across the grass, afraid that any noise would alert the others that she had snuck out. She had done such a great job creeping past everyone, she couldn't imagine messing it up now! By the time she had come creeping back down the stairs, most of everyone was drunk or in bed. The tavern area was almost completely empty, aside from Ban sleeping drunkenly on one of the tables.

Ahead of her, she saw the mysterious woman propped up against the tree she was tethered to, eyes closed. Her breath coming out in little puffs of near transparent mists as the air had taken a sudden turn for freezing overnight. The thought made Elizabeth pull her own cloak tighter around herself. She was glad Sir Meliodas had warned her about bundling up, she hadn't even thought to check the weather before sneaking out. But there was no way he had known that. He was probably making sure she slept with the extra blankets someone had left by the door. The same blankets she held under her arm to give to the woman outside.

She quietly came to sit in front of the girl and placed the still warm bowl of soup in her lap, causing her eyes to open and examine the food before looking up at her with raised brow.

"Please eat," Elizabeth encouraged with a soft smile, placing the folded blanket on the ground next to her. "It's been three days since you've been tied up here… you must be starving."

The woman with a face stuck in a perpetual scowl looked back down at the bowl of soup before snorting out a chuckle, "Don't patronize me. I don't need your charity, besides, I'm not eating anything that comes out of that tavern," she rolled her eyes and turned her face away from Elizabeth.

"No, I didn't mean…."

"Look, I'll tell you exactly what I told your precious captain every night he's been out here. I won't be swayed by trivial things like food or warmth or first aid, so you might as well go back to torturing me. I'm getting bored sitting out here on my ass." The woman spat in a huff, never once looking back at Elizabeth.

Sir Meliodas had come offering her food every night? Elizabeth's heart fluttered a bit, and she found herself feeling ashamed. Of course he had… because the man she knew wouldn't be unnecessarily cruel. How could she even consider that he had? For the second time, his soft eyes popped back into her mind and she understood – yes, he had every intention of keeping the woman captive to get the valuable information she held… but that didn't mean he was a part of the torture.

"So… Sir Meliodas has come out to see you every night?" she asked feeling herself soften a bit. Her chest tightening with an all too familiar feeling of guilt.

"Without fail. Guess he thought sending you out to do the job might open me up."

"But I snuck out. He didn't…" she was going to say he hadn't sent her when his words from earlier replayed in her mind once more, _Stay warm tonight, okay Elizabeth?_ Had he known she planned on sneaking out to bring food to the captive?

Elizabeth's eyes had fallen to her lap as she thought about it, but bringing them back up, she noticed dull blue eyes giving her a questioning look that read, 'You really are an idiot, aren't you?'

There was a long silence between them, as Elizabeth was the one to look away this time. She really was out of her depth here. She didn't understand what was going on and no one was telling her anything. It made it hard to understand why he would insist on keeping this woman captive and then offer her food and warmth, "I'm sorry you have to be tied up here. I tried to convince Sir Meliodas to let you go… but he wouldn't listen."

The woman chuckled deeply, and for the first time Elizabeth saw what could pass as a grin on her face, "How daft could you get? I have valuable information on someone they've been hunting. What makes you think your pleas are enough?" she continued laughing to herself, shaking her head, "Stupid girl…"

Elizabeth's cheeks flushed as her eyes fell back to her lap where she was wringing her fingers. No, of course she didn't understand. And, perhaps, that did make her foolish. But she couldn't draw the distinction like everyone else could. What made this woman different from them? She had saved her life after all. How could she possibly understand if everyone refused to explain!?

"Ignorance must truly be bliss, huh?"

The captive's voice brought Elizabeth to look back up at her as the woman's eyes trained on her seriously now. There was an emotion there that the silverette couldn't quite place, "I-I'm sorry?" she hadn't even noticed the woman had stopped laughing.

"It must be nice to forget everything. No cares. No worries. Just a blank slate." her head leaned back so that it was resting on the bark of the tree trunk, and she was gazing down at Elizabeth through half closed lids.

How did this woman know?

"Did you know me before I lost my memories?" Elizabeth asked in a far calmer voice than she thought possible with the resounding beating in her chest. Everyone surely heard her heart thundering, right?

The woman scoffed, finding something funny in the question, "Know," she put emphasis on the word, "is not exactly the word I would call it. But we were acquainted," she finished, with a roll of her eyes.

This was it! Finally, someone with some answers! This was the opportunity Elizabeth had been searching for! "W-what's your name?" the silverette stumbled, trying to reign in her wayward heart.

The woman considered for a long time, "My birth name is Tessa. You may call me that."

Tessa… it did… YES! It did have a familiar ring to it! She must have known this woman in her previous life! There was no doubt about it!

"Tessa… Can you tell me who I am?" Elizabeth had clasped her hands together as she cried at her pleadingly.

Tessa's eyes narrowed on her as she watched silently for a moment, then a small grin spread over her lips, "On one condition…"

Elizabeth's eyes widened significantly, "Yes! Anything!"

Tessa leaned forward as if the request was a well-kept secret, "After I tell you, you have to kill me."

And just like that, the proverbial glass was shattered beneath her feet. Elizabeth's expression changed from hopeful to stunned as she processed the request. "Y-you want me to… kill you?! B-but! Why?!"

From her place leaning against the tree, Tessa pressed as far forward as she could, her voice dropping to a dangerous hushed tone, "You're the only one who can." She answered. The seriousness in Tessa's eyes did not waver as she leaned back again.

"You can't... be serious. I-I can't kill anyone!" Elizabeth clenched her hands, tears building in her eyes. This was all some sort of joke. This woman was holding what she knew of her past for the ransom of her death?! There was… just no way this was real.

There was a long silence, but Tessa broke it soon enough with a bored sigh, "You are as naïve and useless as ever," she complained, voice monotone and eyes reflecting the same disappointment. "What would be the point of me telling you about your past? You'd only squander it… besides, wouldn't it only hurt more to remember before you met your end?"

Elizabeth was speechless. She couldn't find any words to say to this woman. So instead Tessa found the silence as her invitation to continue, "There's a war coming, Elizabeth. You won't survive it," Tessa stared seriously at her the small grin that had appeared was long gone, "My advice would be to forget you ever had a past. Enjoy what you have now, before it's all taken away."

Those painful tears that had welled up now spilled over Elizabeth's cheeks. This wasn't right. "Why are you telling me this?" the silverette managed through her tears. It was hard to speak without sobbing, but somehow she managed.

"Because, contrary to your naive perception of me, I am not a good person."

"B-but…" Elizabeth choked. _But you saved me! Why would you do that?!_

"Look around yourself, Elizabeth. Without these cuffs, I could summon all of your worst nightmares from the darkness of the forest alone. I could swallow you up into a shadow you would never escape. No one would hear you scream, no one would come to your rescue. I could destroy you without so much of a wave of my hand," Tessa gestured around with her head and eyes, and suddenly Elizabeth felt small. Trapped in the night.

"Why?" her head shook slightly back and forth in denial, "Why would you do that?"

"Because I can…" Tessa said after a moment. Dull blue eyes darkening and narrowing on her, "Your friends aren't the monsters here, Elizabeth. I am."

Now, Elizabeth understood. Everything. This woman wasn't just a criminal that the sins were trying to get information from. She was the boogieman. She was what went bump in the night. The thing that hid in the shadows. She finally understood… and yet, she was still so confused.

"Now, it's my turn to ask you a question." Tessa leaned forward cutting the silverette's line of thought off. Her eyes were narrowed still, like she was reading her. What was she looking for?

"Why, when they know they are marching you to your death, do you think the sins would lie to you about your past?"

The question took Elizabeth off guard. So completely that she nearly sputtered nonsense. She opened her mouth to protest, but the words never got the chance to escape.

Tessa's eyes had shifted in the opposite direction of the Boar Hat, narrowing into an angry glare as she rolled her legs up and then with as much force as she possibly could, connected her feet right into Elizabeth's chest, sending her toppling backwards several yards. The wind completely forced from her lungs, she choked on her own need for air, clutching her sore chest.

Then, the entire clearing where she had just been sitting erupted into flames.

"Elizabeth, are you alright?" Her head whirled around, and rasped with shock. Meliodas was clutching her against himself. He had broken her crash and now looked over her in concern. Elizabeth looked around the blazing clearing and saw all of the sins on guard and ready for anything.

Meliodas' glance up at the burning tree brought her attention there as well and through the flames she saw not one, but two figures. One of them very quickly making their escape. The other, Tessa, was looking back and her… There was a pained emotion on her face as she turned away and disappeared into the forest.

"Elizabeth, what happened? Did she say anything to you?" Meliodas' voice brought her back to look at him and her hand clutched her chest a little tighter.

"She… asked me to kill her…" she mumbled, staring out into the raging flames that had blocked the sins from giving chase.

 _So… why did she look so sad?_

* * *

Tessa and Deidra stood at attention in the presence of their prince. If she didn't know any better, Tessa would have called the look he was giving them perturbed. But, she did know better. Prince Atlas was furious. At both of them. There would be no shortage of punishments dealt for this most grievous set of mistakes on their parts.

"Anything _else_ to report?" he spat, less than enthused by the information Tessa presented to him.

Tessa hesitated, the words right at the tip of her tongue. Yes. There was something else. A lot of something else's that she was not sharing. Why she felt the need to lie to her prince, she wasn't sure. So instead she shook her head, "No, your highness. I have nothing else to report."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her sister's brow shoot up, watching her curiously, before turning her attention back to the prince, "Your highness, Princess Elizabeth has lost her memories."

 _Damnit… no of course you heard that part…_

Atlas regarded them fully now, a devious grin pulling at his lips as if this little tidbit presented him with interesting new possibilities, "Has she now…" his eyes narrowed on Tessa, "When did you plan on sharing this information, Pestilence?"

Pestilence kept her voice even and face emotionless, "It must have slipped my mind, your highness. My apologies."

There was a long silence. Again, from the corner of her eye, Tessa saw her twin move to look at her skeptically. _Stop staring at me like that…_

Atlas brushed his fingers over his chin while humming in contemplation. "That intel has just saved you, Deidra. Go, prepare yourself. There has been a change in plans."

Deidra bowed to the prince, turning on her heels to leave the chamber, but not before shooting a warning glare at her. The large chamber doors shut behind Deidra as she was off to prepare for whatever the prince had planned.

The chamber was quiet then. Tessa had been left alone in the presence of her prince and his gaze was like fire on her skin. She kept her eyes fixed to the ground. In his presence, like this, she felt naked. He could see right to the depths of her tarnished soul.

Atlas stood from his throne, an unwavering force approaching her, and she resisted the urge to shudder at the anger seeping off of him. The palpable toxic fog of death filling the room as his true powers danced with his rage.

"Do you hate me, Pestilence?"

"No…" her voice rang out in a surprisingly even and calm tone. She was a hard outer shell, but her insides were trembling.

His face darkened with the grin that spread over his lips and he approached her with slow calculated steps, "Is that so?"

"I do not hate you, your highness," she managed again, keeping her eyes forward and body still as he began to circle her, disappearing from her vision. She listened as his steps halted. She could feel him behind her. Her mind and body tensed as she waited for him to run her through with his scythe.

"I don't believe you…" he whispered sensually in her ear from behind and her breath hitched through her nose as a shiver ran the length of her spine. Her expression remained passive though as she stared ahead.

There was a soft pressure on her skin as his fingers gently caressed over the bandages on her shoulder and he stepped back into her peripherals, continuing to circle her, "I've nearly had you killed, I've had you imprisoned… starved you," his fingers grazed her stomach and the neat bandage applied there as he passed in front of her, "I've had you beaten and battered to within an inch of your life," his fingers traced up the length of her arm to pull gently along her long braided hair, "I've cursed you, pestilence… given you life as a living darkness, had you murder countless people,

Atlas came full circle once more and now stood in front, smiling sinisterly at her, "and yet, you don't harbor any ill will towards me for any of that? How am I to believe such lies?"

She was looking him in the face now, and she swallowed hard, "I-" she had begun but Atlas' disapproving look stole her voice.

"You've failed me again, Pestilence. And now, you're hiding things from me… So don't bother trying to lie to me again."

His words were a dare. He wanted her to lash out. He wanted her to tell him how much he hurt her, how much she hated him with everything she had. That her hate towards him drove her strength, but when her mouth opened to grant his wish, nothing came out. She couldn't form the words. She couldn't say it.

"Oh Tessa…" he purred, lifting his hand into the air and he snapped his fingers. A single resounding sound that echoed like an explosion in the chamber.

Like that, Tessa's body failed her in every way possible. She fell to her knees as an agony she hadn't felt since her induction into the horsemen took hold of her. She threw-up black blood and her arms collapsed beneath her, falling to writhe on the floor. She couldn't breathe. She could not scream. This pain… was going to be her demise.

Atlas had the power to deactivate the very power she controlled. He could make it reject her… turn her own blood into acid.

She looked up at him, and she saw her master's devious grin. He was enjoying watching her death, just as he had when he had pushed her into that sacred well. The pleasure in his eyes at the sight of her only fueled her fear. Her vision began to fade. Blackness was pooling at the corners of her eyes.

 _This is it… He's going to kill me…_

She had always imagined she would be happy when her master finally allowed her to die… but now as she faded, all she could feel was terror. She was going to be swallowed by the very darkness she had used to commit so many atrocities. A poetic end. A form of justice for all those she had wronged… but an end that fueled her nightmares.

Atlas snapped once more and all at once, Tessa could breathe again. The regenerative powers returning to her as Atlas allowed her power to reactivate. She choked through her heavy labored breath.

A heavy hand grasped her hair, yanking her head up, and backwards. Atlas's lips hovering over hers and brushing them softly as he spoke, "Don't forget who you belong to, Pestilence…" he warmed.

Tessa's breath trembled with the rest of her body as she saw the dark glint in his eyes, before the prince released her hair and allowed her to fall to her hands and knees. She was quick to climb to her feet, bowing her head, "Yes… Your highness," she panted, keeping her eyes cast to the floor at his feet, "Thank you, for reminding me."

* * *

Special Sneak Peak at Chapter 21: Carnival

Merlin looked up from her book, strange, as she had been immobile for some time. Her only movement up till then being the turning of the pages of her book. Her eyes wandered to the scenery passing outside the window. It was a beautiful day outside. But that was not what had caught her attention. It was almost late morning and they were nearing their next intended destination.

A smile pulled at her lips as she felt the unmistakable power surging from ahead. Just as she had asked, he was there. Waiting for her. She hadn't doubted him, not in the least.

"What're you smiling about?" Ban asked, too curious for his own good.

"A crucial piece has been put into play,"


	24. Chapter 21: Carnival

**HEY EVERYONE!**

So, some of you MAY have read a lovely eulogy about me and my death in the beginning of the latest chapter of "In Love and War"

I would like to take a minute and tell you the REAL story of how I "DIED". It all started like this: here I am minding my own boring business when, GASP! A Lickitysplit appears! As lickitysplit was having WAY more fun than I was (being that she was intoxicated, and I was not), I was thrilled when she volunteered to write the Author's note for the latest chapter! "GO FOR IT!" I exclaimed over chat (She is correct that I do like to scream my ideas in the form of all caps). Surely, this is going to be HILARIOUS. And I was not disappointed. I could not breathe, I laughed so hard each time she added a section. It got to a point that I was "Dying" with laughter. She was doing it on purpose. She knew I couldn't hold out much longer!

Then… it happened. She wrote something so beyond the realm of funny that I laughed myself to death. She killed me in cold blood using my own weakness for slapstick humor.

But the thing is… I forgot that Lick (Serephia) had given me T-Virus a while back because Stormie (Rainstorm2122) posted a lemon that made my heart stop. So… "Dead" was more like "Awkwardly getting out of my coffin in the middle of the funeral, saying 'False alarm!'" as I am technically undead and apparently can't actually die of laughter. You learn something new every day.

I would also like to point out that, Lickitysplit is just jelly cause I can write 673 stories at the same time (allegedly). And it's been TWO WEEKS since I've taken a shower (as opposed to the two years), but only because I prefer bubble baths (and have taken multiple of those over the last two weeks)!

But, by the end of it all, having seen the crime she had committed, Lickitysplit wrote me a eulogy to end all eulogies… and even though I was still alive (undead?), I was pretty much, "Hey… it's written, so why not keep it!?"  
And we waited with baited breath for you lovelies to find it…

Yeah... Sorry about that!

 **In true DOM form, this is a REALLY long AN. I like talking to the audience. Sue me.**

 **But as this has been long… I'll make reviews quick! Or not...**

kayla panek _ **: I'm so glad you've caught up! The story is about to get really good! Though, I am thrilled that you spent so much**_ time _ **on the lemon! TESSA IS THE BEST ISN'T SHE!? I wish she could be saved too. I love that**_ line _ **though. Heart of gold swallowed by darkness. Mind if I use that? As for Escanor, he's been in the manga for a while now, so my usage of him is based**_ off of _ **what I've seen there!**_

muggleblue _ **: Ask and you shall receive!**_

 _ **NinjaKittinz: Thank you dear! You have such amazingly kind words for me!**_

 _ **LUV: YUP! No one can control ESCANOR! Not even my super baddies! She may have told her more than you give her credit for. Perhaps it is not the past Tessa wanted Elizabeth to know about, but the future. Also, no you are not reading too far into it. There is**_ A LOT _ **of sexual tension between Atlas and Tessa.**_

 _ **Lick: Maybe we've been led to believe that Tessa is infatuated, and this may not be the case after all? Hopefully, this chappie of making up is what you were looking for!**_

 _ **tnw0918: Sorry for Tessa and extreme dislike for Deidra are good things. I'm so glad you love the story!**_

 _ **RON: I think you may have mixed up Tessa and Deidra. Tessa has living shadow while Deidra is the puppet master. Thing is, I can't stop you from writing something similar to me, that's the beauty of fiction writing. No idea is truly unique. BUT, that being said, I would really appreciate it if you didn't use the exact same power or circumstances. I would love to hear**_ more _ **though, so if you could send me a PM that would be great!**_

makato _ **: You don't say! lol**_

 _ **BettyBest2: Tessa told her everything she needed to know for now. What's the fun in just TELLING her? Besides, sometimes, it's better to hint at what's to come than to dwell in the past, don't you think? YASS! Atlas IS an evil prick!**_

Jenarla _ **xXx: As I've mentioned above, it's not what she didn't say that's important. ;) And that's a big DUH for Escanor. He's obviously more powerful than Deidra. YESSSS... I wonder what Atlas has planned?**_

 _ **Jillion Tealleaf: ESCANOR HAS ARRIVED! I DO take your comments to heart! Every single one of them! I think Tessa is a lot like me. If I were in her shoes, I wouldn't make it easy on the princess either. It's no fun. Besides, Tessa knows something they don't. And she saw it more fit to warn the woman than give her what she wanted. There was more in those words than what was actually said. Her loyalty is based out of fear. She's devoted to him because of intense Stockholm syndrome. He owns her and she doesn't believe she can fight that. At the same time, she doesn't believe she has the right to because of all the things she's done.**_

 _ **Asakura Kairi: MAYHAPS there IS a Melizabeth moment in this chapter... teehee**_

 _ **Cerulean Grace: I'm so glad you like my OCs. It has been amazing the overall reaction to them. But I've said it above; Tessa may not have spilled the beans, in favor of giving Elizabeth something far more important.**_

 **As always, thank you, everyone. For everything. Some of you sent me messages when you thought that I might have... passed, and the comments you guys left brought me to tears. But seriously, thank you for your continued support. You all mean the absolute world to me.**

 **I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!**

* * *

 **Chapter 21: Carnival**

Elizabeth swallowed hard. _It's okay… you can do it._ She reassured herself. But her body made no attempt to follow her orders. She took a deep breath, bringing her fist up, but once more her hand froze before is could make contact. She pouted inwardly at her own inability to knock on the bedroom door.

"Lady Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth nearly jumped out of her skin, flinging around quickly to see that she was no longer alone in the stairwell, "Oh! S-Sir Gowther! I didn't see you there!" Her heart was thudding with the surprise… as if she had been caught doing something wrong.

Gowther's brow rose curiously as his head tilted slightly, observing her, "Is there something troubling you? Your heart rate has spiked significantly and you seem to be excreting sweat."

Elizabeth's hand came up to touch her face to check if he was right, before she shook her head, "N-No! I'm… just… I want to speak to Sir Meliodas."

The pinkette hummed before directing his eyes toward the bedroom door, "If you are wondering if he is present, it does appear he is in the room. Did the possibility of his absence concern you?"

"Y-yes, I mean NO! I know he's here, I'm just…" Why did talking to this man always seem to leave her frazzled?

"Is there a problem with the door, then?" he inspects it, finding nothing strange or out of place.

Elizabeth chuckles nervously – this whole conversation leaving her exhausted, "It's not the door."

"Then why do you not knock? Have you forgotten how? I could show you, should you require it,"

"No, Sir Gowther. I know how to knock on a door." Now he had to be messing with her…

Gowther hummed curiously once more, brows creasing in confusion, "I do not understand your hesitation. But, if you do not require my assistance, I will take my leave," he said dismissively, passing her and descending down the stairs.

 _Yeah... I don't understand it either…_ Elizabeth sighed, eyes falling back onto the door. This was ridiculous. She took one last deep breath and tapped lightly on the wood.

There was no answer.

"Sir Meliodas?" she waited a heartbeat before she turned the nob and peaked into the room.

The light was off, but the room was lit well enough from the dim light from the window. The curtains had been drawn, though. Maybe he was in the bathroom?

She entered, softly closing the door behind her. It was cool and quiet in the room with the lights out. The soft swaying of the Boar Hat made it easy to relax. It was hard to believe that the entire lot of them weren't rocked to sleep, especially after the night they had just had.

She had made steps towards the bathroom door when he caught her eye and she smiled softly. Rocked to sleep was right. Meliodas was sleeping soundly on the bed, chest rising softly with each restful breath. She couldn't blame him, though. After putting out the fire the night before and making sure she was fine, Meliodas, Ban, and King had chased after the escaped captive. It was in the early morning hours when they returned with nothing to show for it.

After getting them on their travels once more, the captain of the sins had said he was going to get himself cleaned up – he HAD been covered in black smudges. All of them had. Soot from the fire. _He must have been so tired after his bath that he passed out_ , Elizabeth's smile deepened at her own thoughts, admiring how peaceful he looked.

One of the curtains billowed out with a light breeze and the sun caught the side of something shining on the table next to the bed. Elizabeth approached with soft careful steps – thinking it better to let sleeping sins lie, and picked it up tentatively, twisting it around. It was a thick metal circlet – fairly hefty in weight. The metal had soot all over it and there were areas that looked like they had been subjected to an intense fire…

Oh… Elizabeth understood now. This was one of the magical cuffs that had tethered Tessa to that tree. The amount of fire damage on the metal must have meant that Tessa had been right in the middle of the blaze – there were several dark spots on the metal that could only have been made by direct contact with the fire. She frowned as she thought about the night before. The fire had started so fast… and if the sins hadn't made quick work of putting it out, it would have consumed the Boar Hat and the surrounding forest.

But, what had started it? There had been that other figure… could they have started the fire? Were they trying to free Tessa? The state of the cuffs told her that Tessa had been in the middle of the blaze… didn't that mean she was the intended target? And how on earth had she managed to walk away from something like that?

Elizabeth sighed, placing the cuff back on the table, noting with a frown the black residue it had left on her fingertips. There were too many questions, and for once, she didn't care for the answers. Tessa's words still hung in her head, popping up whenever they saw it fit to bother her. And they did. On so many emotional levels.

 _After I tell you, you have to kill me… You're the only one who can…_

 _Your friends aren't the monsters here, Elizabeth. I am._

 _Why do you think the sins would lie to you about your past?_

The whole conversation with the woman had been one big contradiction. She wanted to give her information. She wanted her to kill her… but then she told her she wasn't going to survive a war? She felt like she was on the precipice of something big… somehow… somehow this all seemed to fit together, but she couldn't place the pieces. It had been as if Tessa had been trying to tell her something…

And what did she know about the sins? Were they really hiding things about her past?

Again… too many questions.

Elizabeth's eyes stole to the bed she stood next to and she watched the sin captain take a few long breaths, her own falling into sync with his.

She had so many questions… so many things she wanted to ask him. But she felt terribly selfish for it. She felt selfish for everything. If there was one truth to anything Tessa had said to her… it was that she was naïve.

Elizabeth had treated Meliodas so terribly… all of them. When in reality they were only trying to protect her. That's what they had been doing from the very beginning. She had realized it when Tessa began to tell her of all the things she could do… and even though She had been so terrible to the sins, they had all been there to protect her when the fire broke out. Was it so hard to believe that even if they were hiding things from her; it was to protect her?

And here she was, just assuming she deserved answers to her questions. After she had treated them all like strangers.

Elizabeth's eyes cast down to her hands, "I'm sorry," she whispered to the sleeping man, knowing this wasn't enough. "I said such… terrible things."

* * *

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth had paused, and Meliodas peeked an eye open briefly to watch her nibble her bottom lip, "I said such… terrible things," her voice had been a hushed whisper and he could hear the tears threatening to well up on the silverette.

Meliodas' lips turned up slightly. He had been sleeping when she had come creeping into the bedroom. He kept quiet hoping he was still dreaming, but he wasn't and she wasn't there for the implied sexual antics. But now he couldn't wipe the growing grin off of his face. He was just glad that she was speaking to him again.

"It's alright. I don't blame you. None of us do." He answered softly, still sounding groggy from his light nap.

"S-Sir Meliodas?" She squeaked questioningly. He could feel her inching closer, investigating to see if he was really awake. When she was close enough, he clasped her wrist and pulled her on top of him. The way she fell had his face buried in her bosom, probably one of the best places he could think of being. His arms wrapping around her back to keep her exactly where he wanted her.

Elizabeth stumbled over a few attempts at words before she managed something coherent, "Sir Meliodas?" she whined, and he hummed at her question, unable to speak through the mounds suffocating him.

"Can you please let me go?" she asked timidly and again, his lips pulled up into a grin as he grunted a 'nuh-uh' into her cleavage.

Both of them grew silent. The blonde content with listening to the silverette's heart beat from where he was pressed, breathing in her scent.

"I really am sorry," she said, breaking the silence and Meliodas allowed her some room to sit up so he could look up at her face. Despite the red flush over her cheeks, she looked away from him with a dejected expression over her beautiful features. It was adorable.

"I already told you, none of us blame you, Elizabeth. That was some nasty business. It would have worried me more if it hadn't bothered you." He gave her a knowing smile, hoping to ease the frown on her lips.

When it didn't, he switched to plan B…

He had her all to himself. She was speaking to him again and she wasn't trying to run away every time he looked at her. This was his chance to backtrack.

With ease, Meliodas used his leg power and superior strength to roll the sulking woman on to her back so that now he was the one on top of her. Again she started stuttering complaints – eyes wide and flush growing, but Meliodas ignored her protests as he untied her uniform scarf and began to unbutton her pink top.

"W-what are you doing?!" she cried, putting her hands on top of his on her chest, halting his undressing her. He raised a knowing brow at her.

"Let me see your shoulder," he said softly, it wasn't as much a request as an order, and with a heavy swallow, Elizabeth hesitantly removed her hands from his, allowing him to continue. He only unbuttoned the top three sections of her blouse before his deft fingers were pulling the fabric away from her left shoulder, pushing it back over her skin and grimacing as the marks came into view.

This was something he had been meaning to do… take a look at the damage he had done while in the throes of passion. It didn't help that Diane had given him one hell of a talking to during the three days Elizabeth stopped speaking to him.

 _"That is no way to treat a woman!"_ The giantess had shouted, pointing an accusing finger at him, _"I can't believe you haven't said a thing about them to her yet!"_

What he didn't tell Diane was that he had tried to… but then Elizabeth had avoided him for a while and then this craziness with the horseman, when was a guy supposed to get a word in edgewise?

Meliodas ran gentle fingers over the healing bruise on her shoulder. It was usually so well hidden, but now that he saw it he tried not to think about what she had thought when she had seen them the next day – or the days after when they got worse before they got better. There was a twist in his chest as he remembered biting her, the memory bittersweet as he also recalled her crying out in pleasure as he did so.

"It looks like I'm the one who owes you an apology," he said, her eyes coming up to meet his. "That's not how this is supposed to go," his voice was light with the soft smile he gave her.

"I-I know that – but-"

He sighed thoughtfully, "I'll just have to make it up to you next time."

"Make—it up? To me? N-next time?" she wondered aloud and he loved the delicious flush that invaded her cheeks again. She quickly looked away, focusing on anything but him. "I—I thought—I mean, you don't-"

"No, Elizabeth," he said, firmly but gently. He slid his finger over her collarbone. "I should have been more gentle. I got too carried away."

Elizabeth blushed a deeper shade of red. "I didn't mind," she squeaked nervously.

Meliodas laughed as his brow shot up in surprise. That was a rather bold statement for someone squeaking her responses. "Maybe not. But I did, and I'm going to make it up to you, next time." He promised again, then eyeing her speculatively, "Of course, unless you want me to make it up to you now?" His grin turned mischievous when Elizabeth went speechless, her mouth open and moving, but no words coming out.

Using this as his invitation, he dipped down and captured her lips with his, pressing softly. He held her like this for a long moment before tilting his mouth. He pulled her closer to him, and as Elizabeth slid forward, he was able to push his thigh between her knees, forcing her legs to open slightly.

Elizabeth sighed and opened her mouth. He sucked on her lower lip, nicking her lightly with his teeth, glancing up to see her surprised blue eyes flutter closed. She reached up and cupped both sides of his face as he slid his tongue into her mouth. It stroked hers, and her fingers curled against his cheeks as another sigh escaped her.

Propping himself up on hands placed on either side of her, he pulled away and smiled down at her. The silverette's eyes were closed, and she unconsciously ran her tongue over her swollen lower lip. He had to bite his own to keep himself from nibbling further on her berry-colored mouth.

He dipped his head again and kissed her behind the ear before running his tongue over her earlobe. He paused for a moment to suck the lobe into his mouth, eliciting the most delightful gasp from the woman beneath him. Meliodas made a mental note, not for the first time, of this spot on Elizabeth and scraped his teeth on her flesh, tugging for a moment before moving his mouth down to her neck. She let out a slow breath while he kissed her, hands having slipped from his face to grasp his shoulders.

Meliodas brushed his lips over every mark on her neck and chest. Hoping that she would forgive him for leaving such nasty reminders of the passion they had experienced that night. He had never intended to hurt her, even if she had enjoyed it on some sexual level.

Elizabeth's fingers moved and had curled in his hair, and when he reached her shirt, she arched her back slightly, pressing her chest up towards him. He grinned to himself but did not comply with her silent request. Instead, he continued to kiss her over her shirt, straight down the trail of remaining buttons that ran between her breasts and towards her stomach.

Meliodas paused to leave a kiss on her exposed navel, fingers dancing down her sides but freezing just as he reached the hem of her shirt. The blonde pulled away suddenly, a disappointed frown on his lips as his fingers twitched to continue, "I guess I will have to make it up to you later…"

No sooner had he said those words and Elizabeth gave him a confused look, did a storm burst through the bedroom door, "AHA! I KNEW you were up to no good when Elizabeth didn't come back downstairs!" Hawk screamed, trotting up to the bed with a menacing look in his piggy eyes. The future pork chop grabbed a mouthful of Meliodas' trousers and yanked him off the bed with a loud thump. The blonde could only grin as Elizabeth watched on in stupefied horror, sitting up fast on the bed.

As Hawk tried to drag him through the doorway, Meliodas held on to the frame, "Oh, I almost forgot! You should get ready Elizabeth. We're all going to a carnival today in the next town! It'll be a blast!" with a forceful tug, Hawk managed to pull him away from the frame and he allowed the pig to drag him down the stairs.

* * *

Merlin glanced up from her book, with a thoughtful look. She was sitting quite comfortably at the bar when something in the atmosphere drew her eyes to the scenery passing outside the window. It was a beautiful day outside. But that was not what had caught her attention. It was getting to be mid-afternoon and they were nearing their next intended destination. A town about a week's travel outside of Camelot, which boasted the best yearly festival to celebrate the success of the country's harvest. It was extremely popular.

And they had made it just in time. The festival was supposed to have begun today.

A smile pulled at her lips, her eyes and senses able to pick up on what most would not. She felt the unmistakable power surging from ahead – Like the sun itself.

Just as she had asked, he was there. Waiting for her. She hadn't doubted him, not in the least. Aside from her most precious student Arthur, there was no other person that Merlin trusted more.

"What're you smiling about?" Ban had appeared to watch her curiously from behind the bar – and based off of the smell of booze on his breath, he was already into the liquor. He was curious today, too curious for her liking. But she offered the fox sin her usual mischief filled smile.

"A crucial piece is now in play, is all." She said, remaining vague. It wouldn't be long, if their captain hadn't felt the power surge yet, he would soon. As would the rest of them.

Ban raised his brow, frustrated confusion passing over his features, "You're as cryptic as ever…" he grumbled, taking a long swig of a bottle he had been nursing that morning.

Her grin deepened at his petulance. "You should know better, Hawk," Merlin turned her head to the sound of the captain's voice playfully chastising the resident pig of the tavern. Something told the mage that the positions they were in currently, were not the ones they had started out in upstairs. Meliodas carried a lumped and beaten pig over his shoulder with a cocky smile on his face as he descended to the main floor.

 _He's in a better mood it seems…_ Merlin mused to herself, examining him. She took a moment to assess his power fluctuations and found them acceptable. Perhaps he truly was on the mend and she was wrong… it happened. Very rarely. But if she going to be wrong about anything she would prefer it be about this than anything else.

"Am I to assume that the princess is speaking to you again?" She asked him, and he shot her a grin that reached ear to ear as his response.

Meliodas tossed Hawk to the tavern floor coming to leap over the bar, snatching Ban's bottle as he went. "You guys know where we are right?" he corked the bottle he stole, ignoring Ban's drunken protests.

"But of course, Captain. I didn't imagine you'd ever miss Sudbury's annual festival. Even with a war hanging over your head," she quipped, but it appeared even her jabs wouldn't hinder the captain's mood as he smiled broadly.

Ban looked up surprised, then looked out the window as if the terrain were completely new to him, "Wha?! No one told me we were gonna be in Sudbury!" he let out a heavy laugh as he drummed his hands on the counter excitedly.

There was a long yawn from the stairwell, "What are you guys being so loud for?" Diane complained, stretching her arms over her head, King close behind with his sacred treasure tucked beneath his arm.

"We're in Sudbury!" Ban announced loudly, laughing all the way and throwing an arm around the captain, both of them looking the jovial pair of friends.

"Sudbury?" Diane put a thoughtful finger to her chin then brightened as recognition flashed on her face, "OH! Isn't that the place that does that huge ale festival?"

"Yup!" Meliodas chimed, "And we're all going!"

Merlin closed her book and placed it on the bar, "I will not be accompanying you today, actually," she announced, a pleasant grin on her lips. Her comrades all surprised by her sudden decision. And why not? She could drink with the best of them. She even dared to say her tolerance was better than Ban's, not that she put it to the test very often.

"You sure? It's going to be fun!" Diane sang, latching around her arm, but Merlin only shook her head.

"I have no doubt, but I have plans of my own today. Don't fret though, I will join you all later, well before you plan on retiring from the festivities."

Meliodas gave her a curious look and a small grin that told her he had already surmised her intentions. Just as she thought he would.

With that, Merlin stood from her stool, "Until later, then," she said, then snapped her fingers. In the blink of an eye, Merlin's scenery changed. From the still moving tavern to the bustling streets of the town of Sudbury.

She looked around her with a smile taking in the beautiful banners and flags flying, the delicious smells in the air and joyous music competing with the sound of happy people enjoying the carnival. The town of Sudbury was more closely resembling a city. And if it was any bigger, it would rival Camelot in size.

There was a loud crash from around the corner that pulled Merlin out of her musings. Her heels clattered over the cobblestone road as she rounded the bend and took in the city square.

"Who else has the audacity to challenge the brilliance of the sun?" A deep confidently commanding voice announced from his seat in front of a pile broken table and a groaning muscled knight. The group around them clambering to get in on the bets and the knights that had lined up to take him on pushing and shoving to get their turn.

Merlin's painted lips turned up as she watched him. This had been one of her favorite pastimes when they had all been Holy Knights for Lioness. Studying such an intriguingly rare subject was something of a dream come true. Everything about him was a mystery. Even after all this time, she still had no idea as to where he drew his massive reserves of power when the sun began to rise. And at his peak at the sun's highest point, Escanor could take on the captain and Ban with ease.

By night, he was the weakest among men, by day he radiated a strength unparalleled. _Which is the real you, Escanor?_ she asked him silently. With a glance overhead, noting the declining position of the sun, she knew that his powers were waning.

"Bring another table!" He shouted merrily, ready to take on his newest opponent when she placed a hand on his large shoulder. He turned to look at her with raised brow, but his face very quickly lit up happily. "Lady Merlin!"

"A new table will not be necessary. The game is over, I'm afraid, as I will be borrowing Lord Escanor for the remainder of the festival." She said, receiving both looks of disappointment and – unsurprisingly – a few lustful glances from the many gentlemen standing around.

"Come, Escanor, I have much to catch you up on."

* * *

Elizabeth looked around with wide excited eyes at the festival that was well underway. Everywhere she looked there was something new and exciting to take in. There was over a hundred and fifty different ales for sampling and drinking, music, dancing, food stalls every few feet, games, competitions, shops! "How is one person supposed to do everything in one day?" she asked aloud.

Meliodas snickered at her side, pulling her attention to him, "You're not supposed to experience it all in ONE day. The festival is almost a week long!"

"A-an entire week?!"

"Yup! Sudbury celebrates the harvest of Britannia once every year. It's a chance for all kinds of people to get together and see what different towns and craftsmen are able to do. My favorite part is trying all of the new ales being made!"

"Big surprise there…" King mumbled, before Diane gasped excitedly and grabbed him by the arm and dragged him happily to a stall across the way.

Elizabeth giggled as she watched Diane try on jewelry and scarves for King and the hot flush that spread over the fairy's face. The two of them truly looked great together.

A feeling fell over Elizabeth suddenly, making her stop and turn to look over her shoulder. She searched the crowds but found nothing out of place. She jumped when someone latched on to her wrist, turning back to see Meliodas' smile and raised brow.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"Oh! Uh…" her eyes fell on their hand hold, a flush creeping over her cheeks, "N-no… it's nothing!" she assured, and his smiled deepened.

"Let's go have some fun, then! The festival is here for a week but we're not!"

The afternoon and early evening seemed to fly by in a flash. Meliodas and Ban took part in every drinking contest they could possibly get their names in… and won every one of them – much to the dismay of all of the other contestants. Eventually, they were banned from entering any more. Diane had entered a contest too. Some sort of beauty contest. And had won, only second to a beautiful girl from the town – much to Diane's dismay. From there they tried as many food stalls as they could, stopped at all manner of shops. By the time they had a moment to sit and relax, Elizabeth was exhausted! They had found a table all together nearest the busiest square where all of the entertainment was being held. Currently there was a band playing up-beat melodies, keeping everyone's spirits high.

"I can't believe this town is going to be like this for the next few days. I can't even handle a single day!" The silverette looked around, not for the first time, in amazement. Even with the sun setting, the number of people around didn't seem to be dwindling at all. In fact, she could have sworn they had multiplied.

"They change everything up every day too." Diane leaned on her elbows over their shared table, "It's pretty great actually. But the first day is usually the busiest."

"Why's that?" Elizabeth picked at the last of her food, listening intently.

"Because with the opening of the festival, they have fireworks at night and there's a huge party!"

The silverette chuckled nervously, she guessed that this festival during the day wasn't considered big enough to be considered 'huge'. She didn't even want to know what all went on at night.

"Luckily for us, we have the best place in town to see the fireworks from." Meliodas grinned, taking a satisfying gulp of his mug and slamming it down on the table at the same time as Ban. "At the Boar Hat!" he finished as if answering the questioning look on Elizabeth's face. "With where we stopped Hawk's mom, we should have a great view of the fireworks tonight!"

"It's only just now sunset, and you're all talking about retiring already?"

Elizabeth swung around to see Merlin standing directly behind her, smug grin in place and hands perched confidently on her hips, "Oh! Lady Merlin! Have you been enjoying the carnival too?" she asked.

Merlin smiled down at her, glancing ever so slightly over her own shoulder, "You could say that…"

Elizabeth followed her eyes and saw an older gentleman standing just off to her side. He looked… out of place amidst all of the people milling about, but upon seeing the lot of them, he gave them a warm smile.

"Escanor! Glad you could make it!" Meliodas chimed, catching Elizabeth's curiosity. Escanor? They all knew this man?

"Oh I get it… *HICK* Merlinsh been playin *HICK* hooky with da lion!" Ban slurred noisily, "By the way, Es~anor… How's it feel bein a rogue, huh?" he asked suddenly before bellowing out at his own comment. Perhaps it was meant to be a joke?

 _Wait…_ Elizabeth turned back to the man with eyes searching him. _Lion? Rogue?_ "Y-you wouldn't happen to be one of the Seven Deadly Sins would you?"

The mustached man turned to her with a nervous smile and hand rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, "Ah! Y-yes! My name is Escanor – t-the… Lion sin of pride. I-it's a pleasure to meet you." He stumbled as if not sure of his words, glancing over to Merlin periodically as if looking for approval.

 _What a strange man. Is he really one of the sins? He seems so... weak compared to the others._ With how meek he seemed to be, even she felt more powerful than he did. The thought made her giggle, and she stood to greet him properly.

"I'm Elizabeth. It's a pleasure to meet you too, Lord Escanor." She smiled with her hand extended, but then she stopped short and the sin of pride watched her with wide eyes.

 _Lord? Where did that come from? Why on earth did I just address him that way? And more than that, something Ban had said is bothering me…_

Escanor's hand grabbing hers, stirred her out of her thoughts and back to his kind face. "The pleasure is all mine." He assured, and Elizabeth brushed off her confusion.

"So, are you coming back to the tavern with us, Escanor?" Meliodas asked as he stood, having finished his ale and looking ready to head out.

Escanor seemed to jump at Meliodas' question. He was very skittish for someone who was supposed to be a rogue of a kingdom. "Yes! I will be joining you. B-but, later. I have one last piece of business here in town, but I'll come right after!"

"Great! Then let's head back to the tavern and get ready for the real fun to start!"

With a final nod at Escanor, Merlin grinned and teleported the rest of them to the tavern. Everyone on their feet, except for Ban who took a rather nasty fall face first to the floor.

Ban picked his head up off the floor with a glare at Merlin, "You dirty witch! I swear one of these days," he growled and Merlin gave him nothing but a smile and waved him off with a laugh.

Hawk came barreling out of the kitchen looking quite excited… or perhaps a little frustrated. "I hope you brought back all that food you promised me for watching the tavern, Meliodas!" he squealed, and with a sigh and a shake of his head, Meliodas produced a heavy looking bag that Elizabeth hadn't noticed till then. It looked like it held at least one of everything they had eaten while in town. Hawk squealed in delight, following the blonde into the kitchen.

"Sir Ban?" Elizabeth turned to the fox sin as he lounged in the same spot he had fallen to, "You asked Lord Escanor how he liked being a rogue."

A white brow shot up at her question, "Yeah, so what?"

"Did he not know he was a rogue? You spoke about it as if you were not together when you all became criminals."

Ban looked up at the tavern ceiling as if trying to recall his words, "Yeah… I guess I did say that, didn't I?" he chuckled at himself, "Yeah, he wasn't with us when all that went down."

Elizabeth hummed, brows pulling together in confusion, "But, then why is he considered a rogue then? Doesn't becoming a criminal mean you have to be there for the actual crime?"

The fox sin scoffed, "It's kind of a 'all for one, one for all' deal around here." Ban propped his arms behind his head and closed his eyes, ending their conversation and leaving Elizabeth both confused and more curious than she knew she probably should have been.

 _I guess I'm not the only one being kept in the dark._ Her own thoughts surprised her. When had she begun to think of it that way? That the sins were actually hiding things from her? Weren't those the words of a woman who had promised to kill her?

* * *

Escanor hurried to through the street, he had this last thing he needed to take care of and then he would be reunited with his comrades once more. His mind was swimming with the time he had been able to share with Merlin that afternoon, and now he couldn't wait to see her again. Maybe this time…

 _Maybe, I'll tell her how I feel this time_. He thought with hope in his heart, but immediately beat the idea back down. There was no way someone as beautiful and caring as Merlin would ever want anything to do with him romantically. She was out of his league in so many ways…

 **"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"** A voice rang out, and all of the merriment seemed to slow as everyone looked up to the voice calling out. **"ROACHES OF ALL AGES,"** it followed up.

Escanor stopped, looking up too at the sound. He heard many around him mumbling. "Is this part of the festival?" and "Who the hell are they calling roaches?" He was struck by a sudden feeling of familiarity at the energy coming off of the person commanding the attention of everyone around him. The lion sin's brows creased confused as he focused on the figure standing perfectly balanced on the top-most spiral of the town's largest building. He squinted, until he could make out the form. He recognized this person from somewhere…

His eyes widened as the scene flashed in his memory. A cloaked woman bumping into him in the middle of a busy street… then waving her hand in front of his face as if trying to put him under a spell.

 **"I DO HOPE YOU'VE ALL ENJOYED THE CARNIVAL… UNFORTUNATELY FOR ALL OF YOU, THE REAL FESTIVAL IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!"**

* * *

Elizabeth climbed into the back of the closet of the bedroom she shared with Meliodas, a thoughtful frown on her face. She could have sworn she had seen extra blankets hidden in here before. She sighed, tapping her fingers on the floor from her place on hands and knees.

There was a low whistle, and Elizabeth quickly pulled out of the closet in a rush. Meliodas was standing behind her, with a grin over his lips.

"S-sir Meliodas! I-I thought you were getting everyone drinks!" she complained, smoothing her skirt over her rear, embarrassed by his attentions. Reminding her of their close encounter earlier that day. A heat erupted under her skin and down her neck.

Meliodas knelt down to her, balancing on the balls of his feet, "I already did. Everyone's already outside drinking."

From where she was sitting on the floor, she was very close to him. The proximity made it hard to concentrate on anything else. Especially since they were alone. How did she keep ending up in this position? Her heart was pounding… and he hadn't even done anything!

"You know…" he began, one hand coming up to cradle his chin, the other reaching out to graze her arm. Elizabeth swallowed thickly as the sensation overwhelmed her senses. "They've all been drinking a lot today. They probably wouldn't notice if we disappeared for a while."

 _D-disappeared?_ Elizabeth wasn't sure if that squeak had escaped her mouth or not. She was feeling very much like a prey at that moment.

His fingers climbed ever higher, making her skin tingle in the most thrilling way, and she couldn't understand it. Why did her lust for this man thrill her that way?! All of this lust and cloaked feelings just didn't make sense – it felt wrong and right all at the same time!

 _Why do you think the sins would lie to you about your past?_

All at once, Elizabeth was suddenly reminded of Tessa's words, not for the first time that day. After the day they had all had together, spent enjoying each other's companionship, it was hard to believe that anyone would hide anything from her… but at the same time, she couldn't shake the suspicion that they were.

"S-Sir Meliodas… why…are we doing this?" she bit her lip and looked away bashfully.

Meliodas' brows shot up in surprise at her question, fingers pulling back to give her skin a reprieve from his torture, "Isn't that obvious?"

"Not to me" she swallowed. This was it. She had to be bold. Elizabeth turned soft yet determined eyes on the captain. He looked taken aback by her honesty. "This…" she gestured between the two of them, "Something just feels off, like there's supposed to be something more here that isn't." she bit her lip a moment before continuing, "And I can't shake this feeling that… you're hiding something from me."

 _That maybe those somethings are the same thing…_

Meliodas' green eyes widened as he watched her. She could see his jaw tighten a little as his expression turned for concerned, but he made no moves to answer her.

Elizabeth took a long breath to steady her nerves and frantic heartbeat. She was going to bare herself completely to him, "I don't know if you are… or why you are. But I think I understand. That you're only trying to protect me…" She paused, trying to express her sincerity in the way she looked at him. "But… can you just… tell me the truth? Please?"

There was a long silence between them as his green eyes searched her. Finally, his face softened and he sighed before a small grin pulled at the corners of his lips. "You're right… I have been keeping something from you." he said in a resigned tone. Taking a deep breath, Meliodas took a moment, as if trying to figure out the right words to say, "Elizabeth, I am-"

"Captain!" There was a sudden yell from the base of the stairs and Meliodas' eyes flicking to the bedroom door for a moment before turning back to her, choosing to ignore the call. "The truth is-"

"Captain, you'll want to hold that thought."

Elizabeth looked over to the doorway to see Merlin peering into the bedroom. She had a rare expression of concern on her face that seemed to darken the atmosphere. Elizabeth turned back to Meliodas who was looking between them now. Obviously concerned for whatever was making Merlin give him that expression, but a desire in his eyes to tell her what he had started.

"It's okay." Elizabeth gave him a reassuring smile, and nodding for him to go.

He frowned, sighing, "We'll come back to this, I promise." His eyes reflecting that promise and Elizabeth felt her chest lighten as if a heavy weight was being lifted.

She nodded and took his hand and he pulled them both to their feet from their place in front of the closet, bolting out of the room after Merlin and down into the tavern then outside to where the others all gathered around and stared out into the night.

The moment Meliodas hit the grass he was quick to get to the point, "What the heck is going on out here?"

"It's the town, Captain! It's up in flames!" King pointed towards the town of Sudbury, where instead of the beautiful display of fireworks, the night sky was painted in a burning crimson.


	25. Chapter 22: Chaos

**HELLO!**

 **Dom has returned from her long hiatus! Many apologies for my absence. I had finals (I would like to say that I did REALLY well this semester!), then getting my life back together then life decided to take over for a while. You've all been so patient with me. Thank you so much!**

 **Because you have graced with an AMAZING number of reviews last chapter, I am giving you your sneak peak at the end! THANK YOU!**

 **REVIEWS:**

 _Lick: Oh lick, Let this chapter remind you always of the lengths I would go to show_ you _my undying love._

 _sassykitten1701: As stated in my PM, I did plan on continuing!_ Sorry _it took longer than I had promised! Please forgive me!_

Jenarla _xXx: Mmmmm..._ Speachless _. I like it. It is not my intention to kill you, dear. Torture, however, is a completely different story!_

 _Stormie: Mayhaps in the future I will have them reflect on what_ thjey _were up to all day! I will not repent! It is a confession of my love!_

 _NinjaKittinz: BECAUSE I WANT TO_ INTERUPT _! TEEHEE! Thank you for calling my writing art. You make me so happy!_

 _LoveIsNotAChoice: WELCOME and THANK YOU!_

 _BettyBest2: Poor Hawk. He only wants to protect Elli's innocence! hahaha... Hmmm... where oh where has our little lion gone?_

woundedowl _: HI! You shouldn't slam your head so hard dear! You'll give yourself a goose egg! Yes... Atlas is a brat. lol_

 _LUV: Gowther is super Meta. YOU CAN'T HAVE ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE LUV! SHARING IS CARING! *Dies at the popcorn throwing* Oh_ luv _... you silly. LUV YOU!_

 _Kayla Panek: YAY!_ I'mma _use the line VERY soon. Keep an eye out for that. I'm so happy you're hooked on my story! It means soo much to me!_

 _tnw0918: FEELS TRIP! ALL ABOARD!_

lickitysplit: _THANK YOU FOR THE AMAZING FANFIC OF MY FANFIC SMUT YOU SENT ME! AMAZING!_

 _Cerulean Grace: I think I died laughing at the review you left me._ Manially _laughing. Like an evil mastermind with a fluffy cat. Aren't emotional rollercoasters fun?_

muggleblue _: WHAT WAS HE GOING TO TELL HER?! WHO KNOWS? I like that. Beautiful torture. I strive for nothing less._

 _Asakura Kairi: YAY LIMES!_

 **To everyone: Reading, writing reviews, favoriting, and following: THANK YOU. You guys are the reason I come back when things are so hectic. I love all of the support you've shown, and I can't even express the gratitude I have for all of you.**

 **I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy (sometimes REALLY messed up) adventure...**

* * *

 **Chapter 22: Chaos**

"Get us down there, Merlin!" The captain shouted, and the mage nodded her understanding. With a quick snap of her fingers and determination setting in her eyes, Merlin teleported all of them to the town line, finding with an annoyed start that there was something keeping her from being able to teleport inside. A troublesome enough twist made that much worse when she realized that it also meant she wouldn't be able to teleport anyone out…

She had a terrible feeling about all of this, a nagging at the back of her mind; but she couldn't quite place it. More than that… she hoped that whatever was going on here; Escanor was holding his own. It was the middle of the night; the time he was at his absolute weakest state.

From the town line, looking in, the festival they had all been enjoying had turned into the portrait of hell. An entire city engulfed in an inferno. Everywhere they looked, buildings were burning in a flame so hot, Merlin knew just by looking that they were unnatural. This was the same raging fire that had erupted outside of the tavern the night before. A fire that had allowed not one, but two of the Horsemen to escape the sins.

"We have to get these flames out!" Meliodas shouted, each of the sins already on the move before he had finished his order. Each stepping through the invisible barrier encompassing the entirety of the city; that kept the ravenette Mage from being able to teleport anyone outside. She could feel it the moment she passed over it, but could not pinpoint its power source. No matter; there were always more options. What kind of mage would she be if she didn't have more than one way to save people when buildings were burning?

From her right, she saw King using his fairy magic to increase the amount of water flow beneath the city until water erupted from pipes and wells in towering geysers that reached for the sky. When that alone did not put out the flames, Diane knelt to the ground; making the cobblestone beneath their feet tremble as she manipulated the earth below to increase the pressure in which the water erupted. From their place, Merlin could see spouts of water all over the city, erupting like glorious spires.

But only the weaker flames were put out. Blazes that had consumed entire buildings still raged on, unhindered by their efforts. _An unnatural fire to be sure…_ Merlin thought. It was times like this, that the sins really needed a wind magic user as a traveling companion. Perhaps there was a way to choke out the fuel of the fire, without stealing its oxygen supply?

"Hey you!" Merlin glanced forward, interrupted in her thoughts as she moved as quickly as the others down the street to see Ban waving down a man ahead of them. She hadn't thought much about how strange it was that the man wasn't screaming or trying to put out the fires until she heard the fox sin yell again.

"What the fuck?!" Ban narrowly missed being cleaved in half by a large sword – not that it would have slowed him down. "I'm only try'na help!" he shouted as the man swung again without so much as a grunt as a response. _What on earth is -_

"MERLIN!"

The mage's eyes flicked to the side, unflinching as she put a hand up; blocking a downward slash with her magic and sending the swordsman flying backward before he had the chance to raise his sword against her again. She side stepped another who had come rushing behind the man she had sent flying, only to do the same to him.

 _Minions of some sort?_ Merlin's hard glare softened slightly as confusion ebbed its way into her expression. These were not minions of any sort. The two men who had attacked her were dressed much like… _citizens…_

A quick glance around confirmed a fear growing in the pit of her stomach; all of the sins were having the same problem. People of the city attacking without provocation or warning – coming out of the burning nooks and crannies of the burning street in drones. Something was terribly wrong here, and it wasn't just the fire spreading faster than she could keep track of.

"Captain, these people, they're citizens of Sudbury! And they're only growing in number! We have no other choice but to run." She called out, sounding ever the calm strategist she was, while adding enough urgency to get her point across. This was a fight they weren't going to win. Power was nothing compared to numbers, and theirs were quickly being over shadowed.

The captain agreed, pulling Elizabeth up into his arms before she could get hurt and started running down the road, avoiding people who milled towards them like the living dead, each of the sins following suit. Something about all of this felt eerily familiar, like a terrible case of deja vu.

Running from the mob of crazed towns people, the group found themselves entering into the city square where they had been celebrating but hours before. The joyous sounds and sights of people dancing and drinking to their heart's content, all a distant memory. A figment of a dream.

For the scene they found in the square was painted in a bloody nightmare. The air filled with the screams of people attacking each other. Men, women, and children dead in the streets; no one spared from the ensuing massacre. Blood mingling with the spilled ale from broken barrels. Madness everywhere Merlin looked, without any reprieve.

In all of her years as a Holy Knight, Merlin had seen more than her fair share of death. She had caused more than her fair share as well. But this… nothing could prepare any of them for this. This wasn't just a portrait of Hell. This place was hell. The embodiment of pure chaos.

The stampede of raging town folk who had chased them into every human's worst fears, encircled them, catching the attention of anyone still fighting in the square, who joined in the growing mob around them. Every being had the same burning in their eyes that mimicked the raging flames engulfing the buildings. Like they had been possessed by those flames.

 _Flames…_ Merlin's eyes flicked with understanding before they narrowed on the milling crowd growing larger around them. _How could I have not seen the connection?_ Merlin cursed herself silently as all of the pieces fell together.

"And another horse, blazing in fire, rode out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another…" Merlin muttered, recalling a very specific scripture of the horsemen, reciting it aloud to share her knowledge with the others who were no doubt listening.

"Someone certainly knows their ancient lore." A voice called from high above, and the mob grew quiet as if to give this familiar voice room to speak.

 _As I thought… The puppet master speaks, and all of the puppets lie down for her entrance…_

"It's the puppet master!" King hissed, his sacred treasure already changing into spear form and poised for the attack, pointing at the spire above them. Whether intentionally, or not, the fairy king drifted to so that he was between the woman glaring down at them from her place on the tallest spire and his beloved giant.

"No, to be more precise, this is the horseman of war." Merlin pointed out, watching the woman carefully from the corner of her eye. Merlin had had her suspicions since the first time she had seen the woman, back before they had known who their enemy truly was. When Elizabeth still had her memories. Merlin was certain now; War was a mage. One with power comparable to her own – now that the horseman had made her appearance it was clear **she** was the power source of the magic that kept Merlin from using teleportation. This had been a trap from the start; one that had taken quite a few of their weaknesses into account, one that had very quickly begun to cut off their options of escape.

There was no telling what kinds of nefarious schemes she had up her sleeves for them.

"Very good!" The puppet master, or War, giggled in delight, then extended her hands out, gesturing all around, "Well, what do you think of my celebration? I do hope you like it. I made it all for you!"

Merlin's eyes narrowed on the horseman, stealing glances at the tightly packed mob growing with each passing moment. These were the towns people; innocents. The puppet master had taken over another city and they were marching to her twisted commands. Merlin took another step backwards, feeling another back suddenly pressed to hers. They were running out of room.

"You've got our attention. Let the people of this town go!" the captain yelled, even toned, despite their dwindling rate of getting out of this situation unscathed. Despite that even tone of his, and his impeccable handle of his emotions, Merlin could feel his power growing at an alarming rate as it also began to fluctuate dangerously; much like it had in the grand library in Camelot.

 _Fantastic…_ Merlin hissed sarcastically in her own mind. On the one hand was the Horseman of War; intent on burning them alive or death by mind slaves. On the other, their captain was losing control, and there was no telling how far his wrath would go to destroy the puppet master. At this point, though, she wasn't sure how far her own wrath, her own need to deal vengeance for so much wasted life, would go to do just the same.

Merlin chose the lesser of two evils, blatantly ignoring the alarm bells in her own head in favor of destroying the enemy. She had contingency plans in case he lost all control…

War snorted a chuckle with raised brow, seeing just as clearly the corner they had been backed into as Merlin did. "But what would be the fun in that?" she cooed sarcastically.

There was a split second shock to Merlin's skin, and she understood immediately as Gowther transmitted the captain's plans to her. She took a deep breath and steeled her gaze as she counted back from five in her head.

5… Deep breath in. Merlin felt Ban at her left tense.

4… The captain effortlessly pressed Elizabeth behind himself before shouting, "Fine! Then we'll just have to make you!"

3… Her lungs were filled to capacity and she held her breath. Merlin's hand, hidden at her side, conjured her sacred treasure; The Morning Star of Aldan.

2… The horseman let out a long musical laugh at the captain's brazen words, lifting her hand into the air and issuing a silent command with the flick of her wrist, "I'd love to see you try…" she dared, her voice dropping to a dangerous tone.

1… All at once, the surrounding mob began to advance on all sides. Merlin released her breath, and with as much force behind it as she could, the mage threw her magical orb into the air directly above them, "AMPLIFY!" she called and as it reached the peak of its arch, Gowther extended both arms glowing with his own sacred treasure, "Twin bow Herritt." Rays of blinding light soared out, hitting the magical orb which erupted into the same light, brightening the sky brilliantly; making the Horseman flinch back.

All of the puppets immediately around them froze in their tracks and Meliodas launched himself, sword drawn, up at the Horseman before she could collect herself.

Through the light, Merlin watched as the captain leaped higher and higher, until she couldn't see him anymore through the haze of bright light. There was a thunderous clash of metal on metal – the sounds mimicking an entire war's worth of clashes, before something came crashing to the ground like a meteor; their captain coming to a skidding stop with black, demonic eyes glued to the sky above. War smiled down at them through the clearing haze, twisting a blazing sword at least twice her own size in her hands as she tsked, "Now, now, I'm not done playing with you yet."

The light of Gowther's magic disappeared as it was consumed; swallowed by a mixture of flame and shadow that moved like the wings of a tyrant dragon. Merlin cursed silently as she managed to teleport her sacred treasure back to her possession before the darkness overhead could swallow it too. The puppets immediately at the front of the mob began to cry out in screams of agony that filled the blazing night air in a terrifying chorus. People clutched their heads, crumpling to their knees or lashing out at their neighbors with rage and fear in their eyes. All around them, a gory battle to the death broke out as the released puppets ignored the sins completely, losing all semblance of their humanity.

Diane gasped loudly, Ban cursed, jumping forward to try and pry some of the towns people off of each other, but they thrashed as if he were not even there.

War sighed with pleasure, running sensual fingers up her own neck and flushed cheeks, "Do you feel that?" She moaned. Her head rolled as her hands continued their slow crawl through her long blonde hair, then back down to run down her figure. It was a sickening display of complete and utter euphoria at the expense of innocent people. She didn't just enjoy the disaster she caused. She got off on it. "It wouldn't be as entertaining if I just let you take my precious puppets from me, so Famine left a little present! Every puppet here in this disgusting city will lose their minds and start to kill each other if you release my living puppet magic!" She laughed at the irony that wasn't wasted on Merlin.

 _She's the one keeping everyone alive…_

The mage ground her teeth while keeping a stoic façade. Her mind running through every scenario, every spell… calculating every possible move. There had to be a way. Her golden eyes flicked to the captain as she recalled his warning from before; Absolute Cancel was not an option. It would mean the death of every possessed citizen in Sudbury. Behind the fighting puppets in the square, more were filtering towards them, intent on picking up where the others had failed.

"Why are you doing this?" Elizabeth cried, tears streaming down her face leaving streaks through the dirt on her cheeks.

The horseman smiled, while biting her lip, unable to contain her ecstasy, "There is no hunting like the hunting of man, dear, and those of us who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter." The malice practically oozed from the woman in waves as her smile exuded her delight, "In other words… because I want to."

"You're insane!" King motioned with his hand, sending his spirit spear soaring at his target at an incredible speed, only for War to defend against the attack with her blazing sword, her movements effortless as she parried and blocked each strike with ease. Sparks flying with each thunderous clash.

"All of the best people are!" The horseman pulled back and struck the spirit spear with more force than she had up till then, the blade splitting the spear's handle in half and sending it clattering to the ground in front of a shocked King. His eyes darted between his shattered weapon and the horseman above, face betraying his stunned confusion. _Is this the same woman we fought in Direneth?_ Was the question written over his face.

The horseman seemed to relish the expression on his features as she pointed her blade menacingly at King and Diane in turn, "Do try to survive, I have special plans for the two of you…"

Puppets still under War's control had begun to climb over the frenzied towns people trying to kill each other, throwing each of the sins back into a fight. And they were at a severe disadvantage.

Merlin used her power to push back a group of puppets lunging all at once, turning quickly to cancel the magic pills keeping Diane in her shrunken state. In the blink of an eye, the Giantess had returned to her original height and was clothed appropriately for the battle. The regained stature allowed for Diane to better deal with the onslaught of puppets on her side, keeping King covered while he used his magic to reassemble the broken spirit spear and transforming it into the guardian to help keep the puppets at bay.

 _Damnit… What did Famine do to these people?! It has to be more than magic. Something affecting them from the inside!_ Merlin continued to process the situation.

 _Think! There has to be a way to cure whatever is causing their madness!_

 _Cure…_

Merlin's head flung around to stare wide eyed at Elizabeth being protected by the captain, his movements quickly picking up speed as he and Ban dealt with as many puppets on their side as possible. Tears were still streaming down her cheeks; the mage watched as one slid the length of her jaw to her chin then dripped harmlessly to the clenched fist pressed to her chest. Elizabeth had healed the captain once with her tears alone, without even realizing it. And more than that, Merlin was almost positive that those same tears had helped to stop the bleeding when the captain's wounds wouldn't close not too long ago, despite her not having memories of being able to heal anyone.

Would it be enough? The odds were against them, and Merlin felt the entire world around her go quiet as she blocked it out. _It's a long shot_ , she told herself. _There's no guarantee that Elizabeth's dormant powers will activate_.

 _It's the only option we have…_

With renewed determination, the mage conjured her sacred treasure once more. "Elizabeth!" Merlin shouted, pulling the silverette's distressed attention to her before tossing the magical orb to her, "Hold this into the air!"

Elizabeth caught the orb, stumbling a bit as she cradled the object, looking between the crystal in her hands and the mage before nodding and holding it high above her head.

"AMPLIFY!" the mage shouted again, holding off another mob attack with obvious effort as she used all of her power to amplify the surge of magic already growing from the crystal in Elizabeth's hands. Gowther slipped away from his own fight to take aim and fire his sacred treasure at the orb once more.

It was like an implosion. All sound was absorbed before an intense light radiated from the orb that rivaled the sun. The light blanketed out around them like a heavy fog instead of rays of light, making it difficult to see anyone who wasn't standing close to them. That light was warm and enveloped the entire square before billowing out to travel down the connecting streets.

Like a breath of fresh air, the thick light dissipated, leaving only the sound of groans and the still burning fires in its wake.

Merlin grinned to herself as she turned to the puppet that had been in the upswing of an attacking and noted with satisfaction the normal color returning to his eyes – all traces of the flames' reflection gone from his confused gaze.

"It would appear play time is over…" The horseman hissed displeased, taking slow steps backwards as she glared down at them, but Merlin could see that her focus was not the sins, but Elizabeth. She gave them one last smile before turning and bounding across the building roofs.

"I don't think so!" The captain, and all the others – save Gowther and herself - gave chase after the horseman. Merlin hesitated a moment, sparing a glance around at the people climbing to their feet, and looking around in alarm. They had all just woken to the nightmare that was their lives now. Blood they had not wished to shed was on their hands, and she felt a pang of sympathy for them.

All of this destruction… all of this death. For what? What was the purpose of luring the sins out like this? Those unanswered questions made the mage even more uneasy than anything else. It had been a tight spot, but surely the Horseman of War had expected them to be able to do at least this much? She had already put a contingency in place in case they had tried to release her puppets. She had made it a bloody nightmare. So, what was the point? What had been her end game? It was clear that War hadn't been looking for more soldiers. At most, she had succeeded in only pissing them all off…

Merlin approached Gowther, but the goat sin merely shook his head, "I was not able to permeate the Horseman's mind," He answered stoicly before she even had the chance to ask. "I will ensure the safety of the rest of the citizens of the town and find our missing comrade Escanor," he finished and Merlin offered him one of her rare sincere smiles before she ran after the others with a sinking feeling in her chest.

 _What are you after War?_

* * *

The Horsemen had taken it too far this time. Meliodas ran ahead of the group, tracking each move that War made on the roofs of the still burning buildings all the way to the edge of the city. He growled under his breath when she jumped to the ground and stopped long enough to smile back at them.

A voice deep down told him something was wrong; that she was doing this on purpose. Leading them somewhere to toy with them further. But the growing heated fury in his blood propelled him forward after her regardless.

For once, Meliodas couldn't care less that his anger was growing, or what implications that would hold. He would unleash his wrath on the witch who had played with the lives of countless people for the sake of drawing them out. It was time the horsemen felt justice for the sins they had committed.

 _Playtime was definitely over…_

Meliodas barely registered the calls of his comrades as he took off faster after the Horseman, blood thundering in his ears, heat igniting as hot as the flames claiming the buildings in town, burning beneath his skin.

He had to give it to the puppet master; she was faster than he gave her credit for. Stronger too. In town, when he had launched himself for his attack, she had surprised him with that flaming blade, and how quickly she maneuvered with it. Her blows were nothing like the ones of a madwoman who used others to do her dirty work – they were the strikes of an expert swordswoman. In that, she had fooled them all. But no more. He was ready for her tricks this time, and with the forest path he was chasing her down, there were no town's people in the way of their impending battle.

He hadn't been paying much attention to the directions as they ran, but based off of energy signatures, he could tell they were headed in the direct opposite direction of where Mama Hawk had settled with the tavern. Up ahead, Meliodas could see the trees and forest path opening into a massive clearing that sat below a large cliff side a good mile and a half opposite them.

The dragon sin ran past the threshold of trees, his senses immediately picking up on the same strange barrier magic that had surrounded the town. He gave himself little time to think about it as he had to come to a halted stop.

War had come to a stop in the dead center of the clearing, then spun on the very tips of her toes; vanishing into thin air just as the rest of others caught up to him. Blonde hair whipped around as Meliodas used his power to search for her energy, only for his gaze to zero in on the towering Cliffside further away.

"What's this bitch got, a height fetish or somethin'?" Ban growled, already in a stance to take off after her should she turn tail and run.

However, watching the Horseman on her pedestal high above them, Meliodas got the sense that she was unfazed by the change in advantages. Her lips remained in a chilling smile despite the odds having shifted in their favor. That smile only grew into a dark chuckle as she unfurled her arm out towards them, her hand poised for an action that the dragon sin could not quite make out from this distance.

Until he heard the snap echoing through the clearing and reverberate through his head like the explosion of a canon. The sound making him stumble backwards slightly as it rocked him down to his very core.

Meliodas squeezed his eyes shut against the pulsing pain that shot through his head, his hand coming up to cradle his temple just as another wave overwhelmed his senses. This was a pain unlike anything he had felt; something deep within him began to boil and fester into a searing tar that drove the dragon sin to his knees, both hands clutching the sides of his head in hopes that it would, by the grace of the goddesses, alleviate the pressure building.

He heard the muffled shouts of his comrades and even the warmth of another hand touching him tentatively on the shoulder, but all of those things were drowned out by the voices in his head. Voices demanding his power. Cries for blood. The insatiable lust for death rising in his body from the base of his spine to the tip of his skull.

The blonde shook his head violently, barely recognizing his own furious cry as he tried to silence the darkness. His darkness. He was losing control. No, this was different from the times he had lost his temper and unleashed his wrath. His control was being stolen from him. Ripped from his being; creating his own personal brand of agony.

"G-Get… Get AWAY!" He managed to growl through clenched teeth. Dark patterns had begun to swirl out from the mark above his right eye to tattoo his face and climb down his body. He could not reel them in. The little control he had left was used to stall for as long as he could.

"M-Meliodas?"

He heard his name, Elizabeth's shaken voice breaking through the darkness long enough for his fears to consume him with the possibilities of what he would do if she stayed.

"GET HER AWAY FROM ME!" He shouted, the pain only increasing as he lost a little more of his control and the darkness began to tunnel his vision.

That warm hand was pulled away from him, but he could still feel her presence. Her light still permeating the clearing and it made him sick that his body and darkness ached to snuff that light out.

He could sense all of the sins taking steps away from him. Straining to open one eye, Meliodas turned his head towards them, seeing the fear marking all of their expressions. Elizabeth's filled with a fear not of him, but for him. _Please… run away. If you stay here… I won't be able to-_ Meliodas' thoughts cut off as the pain ripping through him intensified tenfold.

"GET HER AWAY!" He roared angrily, feeling his grip beginning to slip. The last strands of his will and control between his fingertips.

King had moved to grab Elizabeth's wrist, pulling her away with some effort as she fought to stand her ground. "N-No! Something's wrong! I can't just leave!" She cried frantically.

The darkness that had been ebbing into his vision finally clouded his sight, snatching those precious last strands of control from his grasp. His consciousness submerged in the pitch black darkness that invaded his senses; unable to escape.

* * *

Merlin ran fast down the forest path, her senses telling her that her comrades were just ahead.

That was when an invisible shockwave hit her, and her eyes widened in something she didn't portray very often; fear.

The mage only allowed herself to falter a moment at this new menacing energy before she catapulted forward, moving as fast as her legs could carry her. Heeled boots digging into the dirt to help her move faster.

As she reached the clearing, passing through the barrier that would once again disable her ability to teleport, Merlin's worst fears were realized as she took in the sight before her.

The captain was on his knees, hunched over in much the same agony as the puppets had when they had released the magic over them. With each passing second, Merlin could feel the dragon sin's power growing exponentially. This was unlike any of the power she knew him to have. This was more than his wrath.

"N-No! Something's wrong! I can't just leave!" Elizabeth cried frantically, pulling against King's hold on her wrist as she tried desperately to get to the captain's side.

There was another increase of his power suddenly, and the blonde had gone still. Hands no longer clawing at the sides of his head. Merlin's heart nearly stopped beating in her chest as she felt his power continue climbing. Dwarfing everyone combined in the clearing. She was watching the evolution of her captain go from demon to monster right before her very eyes.

And, she was afraid… Terrified.

Merlin rushed forward, "Go! Get Elizabeth away now!" She commanded and King nodded, having Chastiefol shift into pillow form and sweep the silverette off her feet and into the air, flying away from the clearing.

"FIND THE LION!" Ban called after them, swinging around just as their captain began to climb to his feet with slow movements. The darkness radiating off of the blonde was suffocating. Once on his feet, the captain's eyes came up to glare at them; completely consumed by the blackness they knew to be his demon heritage.

Merlin swallowed thickly in the deafening silence that stretched over the clearing. None of them blinked. Every breath held. One wrong move, and they were all dead.

That's when it happened. The slightest shift of the captain's foot and Merlin's hand flew up to counter, "PERFECT CUBE!" she called, and just as she hoped, Meliodas came to a sudden standstill as his path was impeded by her magical sealing technique. This one far stronger than any other she had ever cast before.

The blonde snarled from behind the magical glass, his fists coming up to pound on it in a rage.

"Nice catch Mer-" Ban had begun to congratulate her when his words cut off by the shaking of the hand she held out to continue pumping as much power into the cube as she could.

Diane came to stand beside her, "Merlin? What's wrong? We shouldn't have anything to worry about now that he's trapped in Perfect Cube, right?" The Giantess asked, giving her a small reassuring smile.

Merlin watched with narrowed focused eyes as Meliodas threw his fists against the wall several more times, and on the last hit, felt the dread seep into her veins as a small crack began to form on the surface.

"On the contrary, dear…"

* * *

 ** _Sneak Peak of Chapter 23: In The Nick Of Time_**

 _Merlin felt the strain of having poured all of her power into Perfect Cube, and a sweat had broken out over her brow as she struggled to remain in control._

 _The blonde glaring her down behind the magical glass_ , _still beating on it with rage in his features. Truly the visage of a monster. He used all of his body to move with him as he threw his weight against the glass over and over; the cracks growing in size as time passed. Until finally, with a focused punch at the center of the fracturing wall..._

 _It shattered._

 _Perfect Cube was supposed to be inescapable... Merlin thought, her breath coming out in pants from exhaustion._

 _And the captain broke through it with nothing but his fists._


	26. Chapter 23: In the Nick of Time

**HELLO MY LOVELIES!**

 **I am so terribly sorry. Wow... it's been a MONTH since my last update. That is... just unforgivable. I'd like to take a moment to explain, though:**

 **A lot of things contributed to me not being able to write (I know. Excuses, excuses.). I started working again, with summer here, I've been spending more time with the family, I've been working on my novel, yada-** yada **.**

 **But, the most surprising reason it took me so long is probably that for a time, I stopped WANTING to write. I was still writing in my free time for my novel, but even that was half-assed. I want to tell you this, not because I want your sympathy, but because I'm sure there are people out there who can relate, or knows someone who can. I almost stopped because my writing was looked down on by people who are very close to me. It didn't matter that I was devoting massive amounts of time to something I was truly passionate about, that writing for this fandom makes me truly happy. It took reading all of your reviews and encouraging words to made me realize just how stupid it was for me to stop because of something someone else had said.**

 **I share this with you all because it's important. Share your stories. Even if you feel like no one will approve. It doesn't matter. Do the things you are passionate about. You're friendly** nieborhood **Dom will be there to cheer you on!**

 **NOW THEN, with that bit of seriousness out of the way...**

 **REVIEWS! (THERE ARE SOOO MANY! THNK YOU SOOO MUCH!)**

 _Lily: I apologize for killing you dear!_

 _peacerockgirl123: DONE! lol_

 _Anna: I know... I_ sowwy _... Don't be mad at the Dom_ pweaseee

Makato _: Read, and you may find out! Also, I've just watched like ALL of the DanganRonpa games. Makoto is my favorite. Aside from Genocide Jack... for obvious reasons._

Evens _: I SOWWY! *Cries very unattractively*_

smjieg _: Nope. It's not FF. Just me being silly!_

Hawkmamaknows _: Hawk mama, I promise,_ you're _precious baby is safe. That being said... the others are not. But you and Hawk will be making an appearance soon. Also, thanks for the story dedication. It touched me... in ways I'd rather not say._

 _LICK: The_ licky _being speechless? This is a first. Chimed a death toll... I like the sound of that. Thanks love!_

 _Ultrawolfie: RIGHT?! Escanor one-hit-killing a horseman would be GLORIOUS!_

Sofibbe _: Another speechless fan?! I really outdid myself._ lol _Deidra is a bitch. A psychotic one._

 _LucyDragneel2009: Sorry for leaving you hanging for so long._ I came back _though, see? I would never ACTUALLY abandon you._

 _Dr4gonIc3F34th3r: Poor thing..._

 _Stormie: YAY SHIVERS! Thanks for the lovely review dear!_

 _NinjaKittinz: YUP screwed sums it up REALLY nicely. lol_

 _LUV: Nope. Luv can NOT have all the people. Dom gets the_ luv _. Final answer._ lol _I love your freak out. That was funny as shit. "EVERYONE'S GOING TO DIE!"_

 _: Yes._ lol _She does. Thanks for the kind words like always!_

Jenarla _xXx: Atlas will come around soon. Keep your eyes peeled. We're nearing the end of this little adventure._

 _Kamira: Again, WELCOME! Thanks for joining us! I can't wait to keep talking with you!_

 _Asakura Kairi: Finally, the long anticipated reveal! Enjoy!_

 _tnw0918: Read on and you shall see!_

 _LoveIsNotAChoice: You are beyond sweet._ Sorry _you've held your breath this long. That probably hurt... a lot_

 _BettyBest2: Betty, I love you and your far too accurate predictions. You are still the head of the "Too smart for their own good" group. lol_

 _Lickitysplit: ALL THE DRINKS!_

 **PHEW!**

 **To everyone who reads, subscribes, favorites, and comments... THANK YOU. I mean it more than I ever have before. It was you all who reminded me that this is my passion, and no one is going to take it away from me. You guys are the reason I write. So, thank you. From the very bottom of my heart.**

 **Now then, on with the show! I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!**

* * *

 **Chapter 23: In The Nick of Time**

Meliodas had never feared the dark.

Even as a child, he never once looked out into the night and felt the terror that claimed most children when they imagined what the darkness hid from them.

Even when that darkness became the very thing that gave him power; even when that power festered and boiled beneath his skin. He didn't fear it. Because he could control it. He could mold it to his whim and that control gave him the confidence to stare the unknown in the face with a nonchalance that most hated him for.

Meliodas wasn't afraid of the dark. No, this time… For the first time; he was terrified.

He had no control. He was a bystander to his own actions; watching his body move without his consent. Felt the anguish in his soul as his comrade's presences drove his instincts wild.

One thing continued to echo in his mind; _I'm going to kill them all…_

* * *

Merlin kept her gaze locked on the magical barrier that stood between their captain and them. Her mind quiet as she pushed out everything but her focus on keeping Perfect Cube at its absolute strongest. There was room for nothing else in her head. She hadn't even felt the strain of having poured all of her power into Perfect Cube, until her hand – just barely visible in her peripherals – had begun to shake considerably harder and a sweat had broken out over her brow. She felt, more than saw, their captain's blackened eyes watch a bead of perspiration trickle down her face, and an icy chill ran down her spine as the slightest grin had pulled at the corner of his lips before he had renewed his thrashing against the magical glass.

The absolute blood lust she had seen in that mere smirk was truly the visage of a monster. It was a black aura that was choking the air out of the clearing; out of her, and she doubted for a moment if even the sun could permeate such a darkness.

The captain used all of his body to move with him as he threw his weight against the glass over and over; the cracks growing in size as time passed.

 _Hold steady…_ she told herself. _Perfect Cube is impenetrable_. But even she was beginning to have her doubts. Never in her entire lifetime had she seen someone even make a mark in the walls of a Perfect Cube. She wasn't ashamed to admit that there was a part of her that was beyond fascinated that someone could cause it to crack. Obviously, that part of her was being silenced by the majority of her mind that feared that the dragon sin would actually achieve the impossible.

"Damnit!" Ban cursed at her side, and though she did not spare a glance in his direction, she could sense the anger in his features. Ban was not known for being the most intelligent, but she knew that he was aware of the implications of the situation.

That being said, she wasn't sure what he was most angry about; the fact that their captain was no longer on their side and they were in for trouble if he managed to escape before reverting back, or the fact that their captain was powerful enough to crack a perfect cube and therefore dwarfing all of their powers by comparison.

Meliodas' fist connected with the wall again, and the fracture reached up the length of the cube. Everyone left in the clearing held their breath. Then, with a grin that would make the devil himself quake, the captain threw one last punch.

And it shattered. The sharp sound of the magical glass bursting and then raining down around him like a million ringing bells; tolling inevitable destruction.

 _Perfect Cube was supposed to be inescapable..._ Merlin thought, her breath heavy, from fear, from exhaustion, from the overwhelming shock of having had a front row seat to see the impossible become a reality.

And it had been none other than their captain, he had broken through it with nothing but his brute strength.

Now he was free, his power uncapped, spilling out in a flood around them, consuming them. This was unlike anything Merlin had ever felt before. Before she even realized it, her body, her mind, every fiber of her being knew… _I might die here._

The possibility, the actuality of their deaths being the outcome were far greater now than ever before. Even still, that fear – yes she was afraid of her own death – did not make her falter. In fact, that fear only catapulted her head on to the challenge, as her body stopped shaking and her face set into resolution. If she was going to die here on this makeshift battlefield, she was going to embrace it as a warrior and with a scientific mind.

But that didn't mean she was going to go out without a fight.

The way her comrades, Ban at her left and Diane at her right, stood just as tall, she knew they had come to the same conclusion.

They would make a stand. Fight with everything they had. Even if everything they had, wasn't enough.

Without another second's hesitation, Ban cracked his knuckles, a devilish smile of his own formed, "Let's fucking kick his ass."

And all at once, they clashed.

* * *

 _Damn it… Damnit, damnit, damnit, damnit, DAMNIT!_ King flew next to Chastiefol with its precious cargo – who was holding on for dear life - at a break neck speed back to Sudbury, cursing inwardly as he felt the overflow of dark magical energy from behind them.

 _Why did this happen? Why did we let that… that horseman get the better of us again?!_

The moment he had felt the Puppet Master's presence in the city square, King knew that they couldn't allow her to get away this time. He cursed again, his mouth twitching as he growled silently. _How could we have been so blind?!_ He fumed, recalling the woman they had fought in Direneth. That woman… the puppet master had been someone, no, something completely different.

She had somehow managed to control Diane to attack him, and their fight against each other had been agonizing. Despite Diane's cries for him to protect himself, to fight back, he couldn't. The fairy could not find it within himself to raise a hand to the woman he loved. So, instead, he took on nothing but a defensive stance, allowing for the puppet master to beat him bloody using the hand of his beautiful giantess.

Something in the act, something in the way he was just taking the punches drove Diane's powers to a new height. She exploded with a power he couldn't even imagine, and her last swing at him was suddenly aimed at the shocked puppet master instead. Their fight turned then, and together, King and Diane had driven her further and further back, until when another blonde – the one they now knew to be pestilence, appeared to command the retreat. It had been a small victory, but a victory none the less.

But that… all of that had been a lie. She had been toying with them. Showing them only a fraction of the power she was capable of, only a sliver of the madness she kept locked up tight in that blonde head of hers. War was a monster the likes he had never seen before; driving people to kill each other – men, women, children - without so much as a hint of remorse. _This is just a game to her!_

King and Elizabeth sped past Sudbury's city lines and into the ashy husk of what used to be a thriving and beautiful place to live. Fires still raged, but for the most part, with the majority of the townsfolk who remained now out of their puppet state, the flames were far fewer. Those who worked to salvage what they could kept their eyes from reaching the blood stained ground. Those who couldn't get past the death marking every street of Sudbury cried out over the bodies of their loved ones, faces marred with despair – lost to the agony of what they had done.

And the sins had played right into it. As King soared down the streets with eagle eyes shifting over all of the faces of the living and the dead for one that was familiar to him, he felt the growing darkness from the clearing even here. Meliodas had been their target – his unstable power was their end goal. War had laid a perfect trap, and like lambs to slaughter, they all had fallen for it.

The fairy king was so enraged, so filled with grief for the people of Sudbury and fear for his friends, that he nearly did not hear Elizabeth call out, "There! Sir King!"

King slowed to a stop, whipping back to the street Elizabeth had pointed down, and for the first time this bloody night, King sighed with relief. Near the end of the road, a scrawny older gentleman, clothes torn and bloody from cuts that marked his person, was helping a woman and her bawling child. King knew that mustache anywhere, and it gave him a glimmer of hope.

"Escanor!" He called, and the lion sin looked up to him and Elizabeth with his own relief filling his expression.

"Sir King! Lady Elizabeth! I'm so glad to see you are alright!" He exclaimed, but was suddenly cut off.

Before King had even noticed, Elizabeth had hopped down from her place on his Chastiefol to rush the man, face pleading, her hands coming to grasp both of his, "Lord Escanor! T-There's no time! You have to come with us!"

The Lion looked on the woman surprised, his confused gaze dashing to the fairy, "W-what's-?"

"You feel it too, don't you? That power? You're the only one who can stop it." King interjected, his voice firm. Even with so few words, the full meaning reached the Lion.

There was a rush of shifting emotions over Escanor's face, the most prevalent being fear as the truth of what King was telling him fully sank in with the scrawny man. "B-But! I-I-I can't! It's the middle of the n-night!" he protested.

He was right. Dawn was a long way off still. But the Lion truly was their last remaining hope if the others somehow managed to fail.

"PLEASE!"

Both Escanor and King were taken by the cry Elizabeth let out, her tears streaming anew, body quaking. "Please, you-you have to help!" She begged Escanor again, "I don't know what your powers are, but please, please if there is anything you can do!" The silverette was sobbing now, "You have to help him. Something's wrong with Sir Meliodas, and I'm afraid that if we don't do something…" She sniffled, her eyes coming back up to entreat him with the sincerest of expressions, unable to continue her sentence in her fears. She was just as afraid if not more so than the rest of them.

There was a passion there in her face that King recognized; but it wasn't the passion of the woman without memories, but that of the princess the sin's had come to rely on as a friend and ally.

The utter despair rooted in her expression, it was as if she had reverted back to her old self.

Escanor's eye darted back and forth, searching her expression and the fear that kept him pinned to his spot on the ground seemed to give way to resolution. "I'll do what I can."

* * *

"Now this is a fight I can really get into!" Ban announced as he threw himself back into the battle from being thrown half-way across the damn clearing. That bastard of a captain had been keeping something this much fun hidden all this time?! The Fox sin was a little insulted!

The blow he meant for the blonde whizzed threw a blur of empty air, when all of the oxygen from his lungs was forced out by the fist that connect with his chest.

Too early to get knocked out of the game. Ban flipped backwards, and kept his balance as the giant's hammer caused an earthquake with her hit.

"Damnit, woman! Don't aim for me!" He shouted, rushing the phasing blonde again.

"Stop getting in my way!" Diane shouted back at him, already in the swing of another attack.

Ban charged with a roar. Meliodas sidestepped, whirling his leg around to kick him with excruciating force to Ban's spine, making the fox sin crash to the ground, but he was quick to recover. The captain lunged, and Ban avoided one flying fist, only to collide with another.

The blow tore right through Ban's ribcage, and before he knew it, the blonde had phased away and he was left to crumple to the ground and wait for his body to regenerate.

From where he forced himself up on to his forearms, he watched as the darkness that marked Meliodas' skin surged forward as a weapon, clashing violently with Diane's Gideon. With that smug ass look on his face, he began pushing the giantess back! Her large boots leaving large grooves in the earth as she was forced back by someone a fraction of her size!

Diane grunted as she put as much of her strength behind pushing against him, and in a split second, he was gone. She blinked and then her body flew across the clearing to land nearly on top of Ban had he not rolled out of the way in time.

 _Wanna play? Fine!_

With outstretched hand, Ban activated his Physical Hunt ability. He had been expecting the power surge, what he hadn't expected was the bloodlust that came with it. Filling his veins, swimming in his head. His entire body shook with the hearty demented laugh that erupted from his body, "It's no wonder you're out'a your damn mind!"

It made sense, or as much sense as it could through the haze that was suddenly over powering Ban's head. This feeling of hate, this need to kill, it would drive any man mad. Especially the captain, who was as soft as they came.

In a flash, they were clashing again. Punches and kicks flying at the speed of sound. For every blow Ban landed, the captain landed three more – and with at least twice as much force. Crushing and pounding, breaking limbs, and yet, with the power the fox sin had sapped from the man, he wasn't even breaking a sweat.

A quick glance behind the captain, and Ban braced himself as Diane's Giant hammer was suddenly raining down on both of them. _There's nothing like living through being squashed like a bug…_

Unfortunately, it seemed, Ban was the only one being squished. The captain had somehow disengaged with him in time for the hammer to hit the ground. From the vibrations the Fox felt through the earth and the hammer holding him to it, Ban could tell that the captain was now engaging the giantess.

 _Damnit… even with the extra power, I'm not even layin a dent in the bastard,_ He thought when the weight was suddenly lifted from his person. Diane was blocking against a barrage of attacks showering on her from the shadow weapon Meliodas created with his darkness once more. Diane was having a hard time avoiding all of the attacks, and just as the captain raised his fist to strike her, his fist stopped dead in its tracks.

Merlin's defensive magic, no doubt – her teleportation was being blocked by some damn barrier, so her magic was being used to keep the captain contained in the clearing and as much defense for him and Diane as possible. This was his chance. Ban dashed after the captain again, attempting to drain even more power from him when his eyes went wide; his body torn in half from an impact he didn't even see.

 _W-What the fuck?_

The separate pieces of the undead man fell to the ground in a gory, bloody, rain. Soaking the ground in crimson. The next second, Diane was sprawling on the earth near him, beaten and just barely conscious. _This is bad!_ Ban's face flung around to see Merlin being driven to her knees; the captain using all of his power against the protective shield she had conjured.

The shield, much like her Perfect Cube, broke, leaving her completely open to his attack. Blood erupted from the wound he inflicted on Merlin, before he back handed her, sending her flying. Ban jumped, catching her before she could fly much further.

The mage's breaths came in short pants as she peeked up, "T-Thanks," she managed with some effort. Now this was a moment he was going to engrave in his memory; the great mage Merlin thanking him? Oh hell yeah.

That aside though, they were in big trouble. With a growl, Ban looked up as their deranged captain made a slow approach. _Fuck you man… Drawing it out like a damned bad guy…_

Merlin was hurt, Diane was out of commission… It didn't matter that Ban couldn't die. If he couldn't protect his comrades, it didn't matter that he could regenerate. He couldn't let the captain kill any one like this. _The bastard will be intolerable._

Meliodas was drawing nearer, his black blade raised above his head, charged in an unnatural power.

This was it. Merlin must have thought the same thing, because Ban could feel her stiffen, steeling herself for the end.

The captain brought the demonic blade down. Ban moved forward, trying to take the full blast with his own body. The entire area suddenly up in a cloud of smoke and dust as the captain's power collided and exploded all around them.

 _What the hell?_

There was a collision. Ban had felt the searing of the darkness trying to rip them apart… but he hadn't been ripped apart. No, on the contrary, Ban was fine and so were the two ladies struggling to see through the dust storm behind him.

 _Then what…?_

The dust finally began to settle, the true destruction of the captain's blast evident in the deep fissures in the ground that arced in both directions around them and joining at a single point to the front.

Where a behemoth of a man stood, hand holding back the dark blade that had tried to cleave them in two like it was nothing more than a child's toy.

"E-Escanor…" Merlin breathed, a hint of relief in her eyes at seeing his appearance.

"I will not allow you to hurt Lady Merlin or any of our other comrades, Sir Meliodas," The Lion's sin's commanding tone echoed around the clearing. Somehow, even in the middle of the night, the monster of a man had transformed. No longer the scrawny man from earlier, Escanor towered over them with power that matched the captain. Light to the blonde's darkness.

"Your fight is with me now."

* * *

 **For all the lovelies coming down to see the sneak peak, I apologize, there will not be one. INSTEAD, because of all the support, I am not including a sneak peak, but a whole additional chapter (Coming at a later date). This is a bonus chapter not originally planned, so keep an eye out for _"The Other Side of Chaos"_**


	27. Chapter 24: When All Else Fails

**IIIIII'mmmmmm BAAAAAAACK...**

 **Holy Cow! Two months! I'm so awful! I really am. I have neglected you all for too long, and I am sorry for that.** Unfortunately **my need to feed my family outweighs my need to feed my soul.**

 **Here's the long and short of it: I've been out of a job for nearly a year. Things were getting really tough and then I finally got a new job. It's great, but it was requiring quite a bit of my attention and stamina. I was quite literally going home at 5pm to crash around 7 and sleeping until I had to get up and do it again the next day. And then like a lot of you, school started back up for me about 3 weeks ago. I work full time and take a full-time course load. BUT, excuses aside, I am slowly but surely getting back to my normal schedule. So, to answer the question everyone has been asking: I have no intention of abandoning this or any of the other stories I am a part of. Because I love doing this too much.**

 **Because of the massive support you've poured into this story, I am not only including the bonus chapter (to be posted at the same time as this chapter!)** , **but a bonus preview of the chapter AFTER the bonus chapter! THATS A LOT OF BONUS! (Man... now I really am sounding like a marketer... lol)**

 **On to Reviews, because there are quite a few of you I need to thank personally, so bear with me.**

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Sofibbe _: Chills are good. Let me know if you get them this chapter too! (Thanks for the note!)_

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Makato _: Gowther is too busy in the town. But you'll see what happens!_

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 _Stormie: Maybe I should go back and do this and last chapter completely from his POV? THAT would be... oh my... dispair!_

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 _As always, thank you. Everyone. Readers, followers,_ commentors _. You all light up my world in ways I can never ever begin to pay you back for._

 _I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!_

* * *

 **Chapter 24: When All Else Fails**

Elizabeth's world was upside-down. On its head. Topsy-turvy. Flipped by a series of events that she had not yet been able to process. It was too much. There was no possible way for her mind to make sense of everything that had unfolded before her in the last – what had it been? An eternity? Surely and entire life-time had already flown by.

For how quickly the sands of time had been slipping right through her fingers a moment ago, time certainly found it convenient to stand still now.

Perhaps to give her body a much needed opportunity to catch up. Which it did. In agonizing detail, she could feel her entire body; her entire world. Every hair standing on end, the ache of her lungs with each breath, the echo of her inhales in her own ears, the tickle of unspilled tears clinging to her lashes, and the slow shattering of her precious fragile reality.

Despite the scene plain as the nose of her face, her mind – her heart – refused to believe what she was seeing. In the midst of the chaos raining down on the town of Sudbury, the captain of the Seven Deadly Sins, the man Elizabeth had grown to respect and dare she say – like, had become a stranger. A living embodiment of darkness. Before him, lay his own comrades; broken, beaten, bloody. His fists were covered in their blood…

 _Why…_

The ache in her chest continued to morph until she could put names to the emotions swirling there; sadness, confusion, anger, fear… Those tears clinging perilously to her lashes spilled down her cheeks.

 _Why did this happen?_

Elizabeth's mouth opened to utter his name, but she found her voice stolen. Her blue eyes darted back and forth, searching for any semblance of the man he had been the day before; the man who had reassured her, the man who set fire to her blood, her savior, her lover… but no matter how long she looked, she could not find him.

He had been replaced.

And the older gentleman she had only just met that day? He too was gone; replaced by a towering form that emanated warmth and the visage of light itself.

Black and white. Night and day. Each side standing their ground and facing the other and their presences alone seemed to clash.

"Whatever existence is controlling you, Sir Meliodas, I will drive it from you." The man named Escanor announced. His eyes bore down on the shorter blonde, but they held none of the emotions the others seemed to have. There was no mercy, no anger, no fear. Not even a hint of empathy. Lord Escanor held a steady gaze filled with… superiority.

 _Pride. The Lion's Sin of Pride…_

Together, she and Sir King had flown to the town, found and brought back the older gentleman. They had just arrived as they saw the mighty attack Meliodas was about to unleash and suddenly… The man who had seemed the weakest of them all was someone completely different.

"Diane!" King's frantic cry had Elizabeth's eyes fluttering as time sped back up and her attention was brought down to her injured friends. Without another moment's hesitation, she knelt down, helping Merlin sit up while keeping her eyes on the blonde, "What's happened to Sir Meliodas?" She whispered to the mage who chuckled with some effort.

"That-" Merlin wheezed in the motion of sitting up, "Dear, is our captain's true power, and he's lost all control of it." She cringed softly while her cat-like golden eyes remained just as focused on the scene. The softest of smirks began to reveal over her lips as she added, "And he isn't even at his peak power yet…"

 _His true power? He's even more powerful than this?_

Looking back up, her minds' eye saw the blonde who had been at her side the day prior. She could see him with his back to her, walking away; getting further and further away. Her heart ached seeing his retreat… like she was losing something far more precious to her than she could possibly know. A feeling, a thought, on the precipice of her mind that was just out of her reach – a reason why, when she looked up and saw the captain of the sins staring blankly back with black pools in his eyes, she felt her heart breaking.

 _Please…_ she felt herself silently pleading him, _Please, come back to me…_

Lord Escanor seemed to be waiting, and once Sir Meliodas shifted the materialized black blade in his grasp, there was a blur of movement and nothing more. The pair of them moved so fast that the silverette could not keep up, until the blonde was skidding away and Lord Escanor was left standing stationary as if he hadn't moved.

"Nice! Lion man's got him matched!" Ban chuckled from Elizabeth's side, startling her to look at him quickly.

Merlin hummed in some sort of agreement, but her focus seemed to give away her lack of confidence.

"He'll be alright, won't he, Lady Merlin?" Which 'him' she needed to be concerned for, she wasn't sure yet…

The mages eyes narrowed as the opposing forces collided again. Meliodas exuding such malicious darkness, and Escanor driving him back with such force that it shook the ground. For a split second, Merlin's eyes darted up to the vast night sky above and there was a flicker of uncertainty. "The night is still too young…" she commented cryptically.

While the comment confused Elizabeth, Ban seemed displeased with her words, scoffing, "Escanor's come through before. The geezer's got this in the bag."

"I… don't understand… how is Escanor able to transform?"

Elizabeth quickly turned to see Diane struggling to sit up further while King chided her – his Chastiefol emitting a hazy green glow that felt like a warm summer breeze, "Diane! Don't move yet!"

 _Transform?_ The scrawny man from the festival certainly had gone under some form of transformation to become the behemoth of a man clashing with the captain now… "Is that Lord Escanor's power? Transformation?" Elizabeth asked, receiving yet another chuckle from the Mage quickly recovering her wit.

"It's safe to say, without the addition of the captain's _true power_ , Escanor is the most powerful of the sins at his peak in the afternoon." The ravenette replied.

"It's also pretty safe to say he changed 'cause he saw his lady in trouble~" Ban snickered, wiggling his brows in Merlin's direction, where she did not grace him with a reply.

The ground quaked violently, and Elizabeth suddenly felt weightless. She squealed before she felt the firm arm wrapped around her stomach and looked up to see Ban carrying her like a sack of potatoes under his arm. He smirked at her and the annoyed Merlin who was tucked under his other arm as he jumped away from the crumbling ground and clashing forms that had collided into the area they had been sitting, "No use getting squashed on the side-lines!"

They landed a few yards away, as did a giant green bear that helped to carry Diane to safety.

"Damn… these guys are fuckin' animals!" Ban cackled as he dropped both of them unceremoniously.

The speed at which Escanor and Meliodas had been moving had slowed quite a bit, but the destruction caused was nothing less than catastrophic. Much like the town, the clearing that had once been peaceful – beautiful – was now in shambles.

A kick up of dust and they were at it again. Meliodas charged forward, expertly swinging his materialized blade, Escanor not only dodging, but countering with bare-handed attacks. His massive fist connected with the blonde and he toppled back, but caught himself and rocketed himself forward once more, swinging faster with more power behind each swing.

"You've lost all sense Meliodas!" Escanor's baritone shook the air, commanding the very oxygen to bow before his might as he connected a fist right to Meliodas' chest. The captain, however, would not yield. He grabbed hold of Escanor's muscled arm, flipping mid-air to bring him crashing to the ground below.

Then, all at once, the entire clearing went absolutely silent.

Elizabeth felt her heart hammer in her ears waiting for the dust to clear. First there were shadows, then she could see them; still standing tall on opposite sides – having recovered from their last bout.

"He's unleashing more power…" Merlin mumbled, and Elizabeth looked between the mage and the captain with growing fear in her chest. Those swirling patterns extended and reached out and down Meliodas' person like some sort of living tattoo. Even she could feel the outpour of power and how suffocating it was.

How could this be the true power of the man she had come to know? How could this darkness be seeping from his person? Not once in the time she had known him, had she felt anything like this from him. Where was the Meliodas who had promised to tell her the truth with such sincerity in his eyes? Where was the man she had begun to…

A rush of heat burned over her cheeks suddenly as she twisted the word she was just about to think in her head. She was certainly attracted to him, but did that mean she was in love with him?

Merlin's soft gasp and Ban's loud curse shook Elizabeth from her own little world back to the battle unfolding before them, and the silverette could not believe her eyes. Meliodas raised his weapon above his head, emotionless eyes gazing down at the Lion sin who had been driven to his knees.

"SIR MELIODAS! PLEASE STOP!"

She hadn't even heard herself scream. Hadn't seen herself lurch forward and call out. But suddenly the silence in the clearing was deafening with the retreating echo of Elizabeth's pleas.

Instead of unleashing the building power on Lord Escanor, Meliodas' gaze slowly turned to her. She swallowed, feeling the heat of his animosity; like he was rejecting her very existence.

One moment she was staring at the captain, the next she was on the ground and a voice was shouting, "Oh no you don't!"

Elizabeth pushed up on her elbows to see that Ban had knocked her out of the way and was grappling with Meliodas, pushing with all his might against him. The captain shifted and Ban was sent crashing in halves. Elizabeth blinked and again, she was somewhere else. Chastiefol had shifted back to pillow form and now she sat atop it while splinters of it rained down on an advancing blonde.

The pillow disappeared beneath her, but no sooner had she begun free-falling that she found herself securely clutched to Diane's chest as she took a swing at the captain with her mighty hammer.

The giantess just managed to miss, turning her back to protect Elizabeth from a direct hit from a surge of dark energy.

"Diane!" The silverette cried out, pushing against her, urging her to let her go. "Please stop! You're injured!"

There was a flash of movement and Elizabeth braced herself for another impact only for there to be none. A shield had materialized in front of them, and upon impact ignited some sort of explosion that sent Meliodas dashing away.

Flinging her head around, Elizabeth found Merlin climbing to her feet.

"Why?! Why are you all doing this?! Please, just stop!" Elizabeth cried out, voice breaking with the overwhelming tears now flowing.

She watched as both King and Ban attacked Meliodas at once, both sustaining serious injuries before being tossed aside like garbage.

Why?! Why were they all protecting her like this?

"Elizabeth, we can't let you get hurt." Diane said, pulling her away from her ample bosom to smile despite the obvious pain she was in. "You're the only one who can bring him around."

What? But… Lord Escanor… Diane placed Elizabeth further away, before turning back to join the sins holding Meliodas off as Escanor climbed back to his feet and jumped right back into the fray.

Elizabeth's chest constricted painfully as she watched them fight. Fight with everything they had. Fight to save each other. Fight to protect her. They were always protecting her…This wasn't right… none of this was right.

She was left on the side-lines, at arms' length to watch as they all fell. One by one. Each of them taking serious injuries and dealing massive damage to their captain in the hopes of bringing him around and to keep her safe.

 _"Why do you think the sins lied about your past?"_

 _I don't care…_

 _"You're right… I have been keeping something from you."_

 _I don't care!_

She was such a burden to them… and yet they protected her with everything they had. It didn't matter what secrets they kept. It didn't matter what lies they told.

 _Why can't I protect you?_ Tears spilled down her cheeks in rivers as she watched them and felt her anguish reach its peak as ban was torn apart once more. Merlin was driven to her limits and her knees. Diane and King, protecting each other – taking blows for the other. Escanor unleashing all reserves of power only for it to not be enough.

Every single sin was left nearly defeated. What was worse, their end was in the form of their very own captain.

He had protected her from the very beginning… and now that he needed saving? She was on the sidelines. She was of no use to him. _Why can I never protect you, Meliodas?_ She pleaded him wordlessly, feeling a deeper sadness than she ever thought possible. Like this was not the first time she had failed him. What would happen when he finished his awful conquest? What would he become when he woke to find the blood of his comrades on his hands? Would the Meliodas she had grown to love cease to exist? Would he die with them? Elizabeth watched Meliodas conjure the same spell he had before they had managed to get Escanor to the front lines.

 _He's going to kill them…_

Meliodas raised his hand with shadows dancing forth again. His power like a deadly wind thrashing around them, and Elizabeth stopped breathing…

And lunged forward.

Before she could think, before she could question her own sanity, she threw herself in front of the others. Arms stretched out; body trembling. Tears running down her cheeks.

"ELIZABETH!"

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?! GET OUTA HERE!"

The silverette found her gaze locking with the black pools that had replaced the emerald of Sir Meliodas' eyes. She swallowed thickly and felt her lip trembling as bad as the rest of her form as she managed to stutter out, "N-no…"

The captain's hand had frozen mid-swipe and she felt him watch her, study her, eat her alive with his overwhelming presence. He terrified her to the very core, but she found the strength to stand her ground, "I-I won't let you. I won't let you kill them…"

"GET OUT OF THE FUCKING WAY!"

Elizabeth vaguely registered the calls for her to move, but she paid no heed. She would protect them as they had protected her. She wouldn't lose the man she had… yes. The man she had feelings for. She was falling in love with Sir Meliodas, and she wouldn't lose him to this darkness. She would save him… because…

 _I just can't bear… to live in a world without you._ They were her words, and yet they were someone else's entirely. But they resonated deep within her soul. And though she could hear someone of so much more confidence saying them in her head, she knew they were her words too. She couldn't stand thinking of a world without the man who had come to her rescue. The man who played silly jokes on her. The man who made fierce, passionate love to her. The man who, without her even realizing it, had become her brightest mornings and darkest nights.

Those black orbs narrowed on her. Did he recognize her? There was a soft tug to the corners of her lips. Perhaps he could see her after all. Maybe there was still a chance to bring him back. _Please come back to me…_

Meliodas' own mouth gave way to a grin, one that instead of relieving her, sent chills and fear running down her spine. The smirk he had returned was filled with a malice she couldn't even fathom. Then he attacked.

The initial shock of being hit with so much force was enough to dull the pain slightly as her body was flung several yards away. The only problem was when she finally stopped rolling, she couldn't even breathe. It felt as if the oxygen had been sapped from her very blood. And when her lungs forced her to gasp, she choked instead. Bringing up what had felt like bile.

Somehow her form, her very being knew to stagger up on to her hands and knees as another rush of liquid escaped her mouth. Everything tasting like she had made a meal of a rusty sword. Forcing her eyes open and blinking away the stars and haze which threatened to lull her to unconsciousness, she was faced with a harsh reality as she choked up even more blood, unable to take a full breath to quench her need for air.

The pain that washed over her was unlike anything she had felt before. And yet, there was a part of her that found it… familiar? Something from a far off dream or nightmare.

To her side there was a rustling in the grass and her eyes flung up to watch a man she had never seen before approach her through the haze. The man took calculating steps toward her with black soulless eyes, white hair, horns and… were those… wings? No, this wasn't right!

Elizabeth blinked and shook her head.

"ELIZABETH MOVE!"

Opening her eyes again, the silverette was once again staring into the black eyes of the blonde captain. The vision of the mystery man gone. Her confusion masking the urgency coursing through her veins as she realized a moment too late that she needed to run.

An explosion of agony flashed through her side and again she was rolling, having been kicked with as much force as before. It felt as if half of her body had shattered.

 _Get up…_ A voice in the back of her mind told her. _Get up, or you're going to die here._

Without even being able to breathe, Elizabeth once again pulled herself up on to her hands and knees, pushing further through the pain to sit up in a kneel. She had finally begun to wheeze with tremendous effort as the captain phased in front of her. Her breathing halted once more with his hand wrapping tightly around her throat. He was intent on snapping her neck with a single hand and he slowly added more and more pressure, stealing what precious little air she was able to gasp at.

She clawed at his tightening fingers to no avail. His grip was like iron.

 _This is it…_

It was strange to want to look up and study the face of the man who was going to kill her, but she couldn't help herself. She needed to memorize the details that made up his face to take with her to the after-life. How had she not noticed this need to study him? Commit him to memory?

That was when she saw it. The small tremor to his features. His grip was iron, but his face wavered. The smallest of twitches, the tiniest of cracks in the mask he was being forced to wear. His lips moved a fraction and though no sound escaped him, she heard him loud and clear.

 _Elizabeth…_

Her hands fell away from clawing at his grip, and one fought gravity and exhaustion to climb to the man's face. Her fingers grazed his cheek and watched the smallest of flickers in his eyes. That's when she knew. She knew he was in there.

Her mind's eye again saw the captain walking away… this time… this time, Elizabeth was sprinting after him. Hand outstretched. Unable to grasp that reason, that feeling that pushed her forward, but it no longer mattered. There was a feeling, and she embraced it.

He didn't flinch away from her hand that continued to travel up to cup around his head but his grip tightened on her throat as if to tell her _'You won't win'_. She could no longer gasp, he had only but to squeeze a little tighter and she would hear the breaking of her own neck.

That was fine. With this last effort, with the last bit of strength she had, Elizabeth was determined to set Meliodas free. She didn't see his challenging gaze, but the vision of him growing closer as she sprinted forward in her own imagination. Until finally, she launched herself forward, grabbing hold of his black vest…

Sir Meliodas did not fight her as she pulled his head down to claim his lips with her own. She watched his eyes begin to close as the blackness over-took her vision and everything around her went silent. All she had left was the warmth she felt from their kiss, the blooming fire that surged from her very core, and the rigid hold he kept on her throat.

Until, like cracking marble, his grip began to fracture away. The dark energy that had oozed off of him in waves, vanished.

Her imagination, her vision of him had turned to acknowledge her. Congratulate her on finding the strength to catch up. And smiled… softly… lovingly. Like an old lover… like the sweetest of long forgotten memories…

Air filled her lungs again in greedy gulps and gasps through her nose and mouth. The darkness slowly cleared from her eyes just as the form that had been standing over her collapsed; hanging over her shoulder like a life line. She caught him despite not having the strength to keep herself upright, all the while ignoring the pain that the added weight put her body in.

"Th-thank you…" she heard him whisper. Tears renewed in her eyes as she hesitantly wrapped her arms around his body. She felt his warmth against her and she clung to it. The one truth in her crumbling world. As her body once more became aware of the world around her, Elizabeth found her eyes locking with a figure in the distance.

Tessa stood on the same cliff as the woman who had destroyed the town of Sudbury. The one the sins had called War made a quick and angry retreat, but Tessa stood watching her for a moment.

Then… then she grinned. Before sweeping her arm across her chest in a grand curtsey.

* * *

 ** _Preview of Chapter 25: Missing in Action_**

 _Elizabeth sat quietly, solemn eyes cast to the side as Merlin lightly massaged the ointment over her neck. There_ was _a lasting bruise and small_ cresent _shaped cuts where Meliodas' hand had been wrapped around her neck. She tried_ desparately _not to think about the marks. But just as quickly as those faded from her mind, thoughts of the captain came flooding to her._

 _"Lady Merlin?"_

 _The_ mage _hummed as she continued her work, nearly finished and ready to move to the very obvious bruise forming on the_ silverette's _side._

 _"Is… Sir Meliodas…. A demon?"_

 _Merlin's fingers faltered. After a moment of contemplative silence, she said,"Lift your arm," as if Elizabeth hadn't asked her the question, inspecting her injuries with a precise eye and delicate fingers, "You have a bruised rib, but nothing serious._

 _Elizabeth frowned deeply at the ground._

 _"And what if he is?"_

 _Elizabeth's eyes widened, lips parting slightly in her surprise of the answer. Merlin stared down_ on _her with a curious brow raised. "Does it change the way you feel about him?"_


	28. Bonus Chapter: Other Side of Chaos

_**As promised, the Bonus chapter! It's a little short, but these were bits I had not originally planned on posting. But since you guys are SOOOO awesome, here you go!**_

 **Bonus Chapter: The Other Side of Chaos**

The flames grew higher, and Deidra twirled slowly on the spire of the town's tallest building; arms outstretched to the symphony of chaotic destruction erupting all around her. She giggled happily. Sudbury was truly more beautiful painted in the blaze of reds and oranges of raging fires. Fires that burned brighter and hotter than any other flame known to living kind.

These were the flames of war. And no matter what lies any living creature told themselves, the flames of war could never be extinguished. The fire would go out eventually, but the burning embers would always remain inside the hearts of every living being. That was where Deidra drew her power.

And how magnificent was it to feel those embers rising to meet her with such a hot burning fury! This was truly some of her best work. She would cherish this moment until the day she took her last breath.

"You've over done it, Deidra…"

The puppet master scowled, peeking over her shoulder at her pitiful excuse of a mirror image. Tessa was watching her handiwork with that nasty unenthused look in her eyes before catching a glimpse of something she didn't seem to find very appealing – quickly turning her eyes away with a clenched fist. Curiously, Deidra peered to the ground to see a street spattered a lovely shade of human blood – A man crazed by Cath's powers stumbling away from his murdered family. Deidra smiled.

"I prefer to think of it as making a grand entrance," she sang, turning fully to face her twin still managing to remain in shadow despite the light of the blazing city.

Tessa didn't seem to appreciate her need for grandeur as her scowl deepened even further – if that were even possible – and she cast her dull blue gaze out over the horizon, "Don't underestimate who you're up against…"

 _The little…_ Deidra seethed, her body aching to back-hand her twin, "I think it is you who should not underestimate me, Tessa. Where exactly does your loyalty lie?"

Deidra watched the slightest of shifts in her sister's eyes, the smallest of movements of her features and knew that she had struck her where it hurt. But more than that… there was something else there. Something Deidra could not put her finger on, put could sense. Something that made War very wary.

That's when the sins made their debut. She saw them coming down the street and all thoughts of her wretched look-alike fled from her mind, "Get going!" she shooed Tessa happily, "Make sure the preparations are complete. I want this show to be entertaining!"

Without so much as another word, Tessa disappeared from her sight and not a moment too soon. Below, in the town square, the sins were fighting her lovely puppets and feeling the anguish she had prepared for them in the form of death and destruction on every corner. How delightful it all was.

As her show was reaching its climax, Deidra stepped up to center stage. It was time for War to make her stunning debut!

* * *

~After the battle~

Tessa couldn't help the inward grin she held for her sister's utter defeat.

And part of her was… impressed. The useless princess without memories, perhaps wasn't so useless after all.

Watching the battle unfold had been nothing short of breath-taking. It almost made Pestilence sad she was not partaking. Almost. She wasn't stupid. While a round with a rampaging demon sounded like a smashing good time – pun intended – she also knew that in this state, she had no chance against the dragon sin. He was in a league of his own.

But somehow, against all odds, the little silver-haired beauty had tamed the raging beast. She had thrown her life on the line – stupidly – to protect her allies, and survived.

Tessa turned to see her twin sulk off, without a care as to whether she was following or not. Instead of following immediately, Tessa held the silverette's trembling gaze across the vast distance. With one arm placed ceremoniously behind her back, Tessa swept the other across her waist; bowing dramatically. She stood tall once more, and allowed her inward grin to surface on her lips as she finally turned away.

The gesture served two purposes; first, it was a relenting of defeat for this encounter. To someone who proved far superior to their expectations. Secondly, it was the only hint she was going to give the silverette as to the past she so desperately sought.

Whether she understood the meaning didn't matter. It was up to Elizabeth to figure out who she was in this war… and where she eventually stood on the battlefield would mean the difference between victory or failure for either side.

It was time for Elizabeth to decide if she was going to be a pawn… or a queen.


	29. Chapter 25: Missing in Action

HELLO _ **LOVELIES! OH HOW I'VE MISSED YOU ALL!**_

 _ **So, to keep from having to skip multiple months like I've had to, I'm cutting the chapter lengths so that I can get this out faster! I hate that I haven't had a chance to update in so long, but there were a lot of changes that I made that I needed to go back and make sure flowed right. Not only that, but the chapter lengths were a real hindrance. Therefore, I will be posting shorter chapters at a much more rapid frequency!**_

 _ **Much love to all of you. I can't even begin to tell you how much it meant to keep receiving your comments and favorites after neglecting you for so long. You are life-blood. You fuel my drive.**_

 _ **So, thank you. With all my heart.**_

 _ **I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 25: Missing In Action**

"Elizabeth!"

The silverette and the sins around her all turned to the concerned squeal of Hawk as he rode in on the thunderous clops of his mother, the tavern in tow on her back.

"What the hell happened?! You all were gone for so long, me and mama got worried!" He cried as he launched himself off of her back to run up to the group, eyes wide and frantic when he took in the battered silverette and the captain still draped over her.

Merlin herself was leaning against a transformed Escanor; the man having returned to his previous stature and acting as her crutch. It would be the only time she allowed herself to ever look this weak again – that being said, she was thankful for the support.

Her golden eyes remained trained on the princess, though.

The woman who no one would have hedged their bets on. The outlier. The unknown factor. There was no reason why she should have survived an attack like that, and yet out of all of them – she seemed the least worse for wear. Was it her own power keeping her alive? Or perhaps the power they had encountered when attempting to unleash her memories? Either way, she had begun to use that power unconsciously – completely unaware of the potentially fatal situation she had just walked away from.

"Alright you," Ban leaned over Elizabeth – surprising her as she quickly glanced up to meet his expecting look – as he took a full fist of the back of the captain's vest and lifted the unconscious man from the girl. "You did good. Let us take him from here." Ban offered the silverette a mischievous grin before hoisting the captain up and over his shoulder.

Elizabeth began to argue, but Ban had already begun to walk away with King in tow – quickly followed by everyone else.

"Man... what a pain. I can't believe this asshole let his demon side get the better of him. I'll have to beat him bloody for the trouble he's caused!" Ban laughed loudly, quickly followed by some sort of snide comment from King, but Merlin didn't hear it. Her attention had gone to the silverette who had frozen at her side, eyes wide as she stared at the other's retreat.

"Elizabeth?"

Blue eyes flicked to the mage, "Y-yes?"

"Is everything alright? You seem troubled suddenly."

The girl blinked a couple times and swallowed before she nodded her head – gaze intent on the ground as she continued her trek back to the tavern.

Once back, Merlin made her rounds quick to all the sins who then disappeared to their own respected areas for rest. The princess was the last of the group in the bar for her to inspect.

"Come, Elizabeth, let me treat your wounds." The mage pressed, noting the moment of hesitation in the girl's face before she nodded and followed.

The bar area was unusually quiet with the two of them being its only occupants – another abnormality for a place such as this. But to be expected then their normal guests would have come from the town…

"Let's see the damage, shall we?" Merlin tugged on the pink blouse's collar, pulling it low enough to expose the skin. Elizabeth sat quietly, solemn eyes cast to the side as Merlin lightly massaged an ointment over her neck. There was a lasting bruise and small crescent shaped cuts where Meliodas' hand had been wrapped around her neck.

"Lady Merlin?"

The mage hummed absentmindedly as she continued her work, a little surprised that the girl had enough energy still to speak let alone sit for the examination. If the bruise tattooing the girl's neck was any indication, she was lucky to be alive. A luck that seemed to be a norm for her.

"Is… Sir Meliodas…. A demon?"

Merlin's fingers faltered. This was not the conversation the mage was expecting. Not even close. Was this what had troubled the girl so much on the way back? "Lift your arm," Merlin pressed, without any indication that she intended on answering. "You have a bruised rib, but nothing serious."

Was this even something she had a right to speak of? It was clear to all of the sins that Meliodas' bloodline was not a topic to bring up lightly, but even so, after everything that had occurred, didn't the girl have a right to know?

"And what if he is?" Merlin finally answered, finding a sudden lack of interest in what was or wasn't her business. Elizabeth's eyes widened as she turned, lips parting slightly in her surprise of the answer. Merlin stared down on her with a curious brow raised. "Does it change the way you feel about him?"

Elizabeth's expression softened until eventually, she could no longer look the mage in the face. There was a wave of emotion, but Merlin couldn't understand it. Was she disappointed? Did the mage now look down on the woman for the change of heart – was that even something Merlin could blame the girl for? Something could be said about the power such emotions had on the inquisitive mind – they drove the mage mad with irrational feeling and burning questions. But, instead she turned back to the table and silently cleared away the rubbish.

"No."

The word was clear and strong. There was no hesitation in its cadence, no room for doubt in the slightest. Merlin's eyes widened as all of those burning questions subdued and she took in the girl – no, woman – who sat, locking gazes with her.

"No, it doesn't." There was an earnest in Elizabeth's eyes that drove her unwavering stance. If there had been doubt before, it was gone. The gaze she locked on the mage said ' _No matter what should befall us, I will stand by him._ ' Even when she couldn't physically say the words herself.

The mage's lips turned up in approval, her chest swelling with what she could only assume was pride for the girl she had watched grow, "I'm glad to hear it." The mage cleared her throat, "As far as I can see, you are in no danger." Merlin smiled, standing from her chair and placing a strong hand on Elizabeth's shoulder. "Just be sure to take it easy for a few days."

The mage had moved to leave, her destination obvious as she turned towards the stairs, but she was stopped when Elizabeth grabbed the end of her coat. "Lady Merlin, wait!"

There was a dusty pink flush over Elizabeth's cheeks once more when Merlin glanced back at her, "A-Are you going up to check on Sir Meliodas?" She remained quiet, watching the girl anxiously fidget in her chair, "I would… that is… Please allow me to come up with you?"

The answer was quick to form on her lips, "Not just yet, dear." Blue eyes darted up questioningly but Merlin kept a softness to her features, "It is best that I assess the captain's injuries and state of mind before he receives guests."

Elizabeth's teeth found her lip as she seemed to process her words, "I want to see him, Merlin." The mage's brows raised at the hint of an order. Even as a full-fledged princess, Elizabeth had never ordered her to do anything. But as blue orbs drifted down to stare intently at the hand grasping Merlin's coat, the mage realized it had been the furthest thing from an order, "I… want to see him… Even if he doesn't want to see me."

A soft smile tugged at the corners of Merlin's lips, "Once I have made sure he is back to his senses, you may visit with him to your heart's content."

At that, Elizabeth nodded, allowing the coat's hem to slip from her fingers to allow Merlin to take to the stairs.

The short climb had given her a moment to think about everything the princess had told her. There were reassuring signs that the girl was on the verge of a breakthrough that could potentially bring her powers to the surface. A fascinating prospect – but also one that was sorely needed at this point.

The mage didn't even knock on the door once she had found herself on the right floor. She merely entered, finding herself less-than surprised to find that the captain had already woken from his very short rest.

"Captain."

The blonde didn't turn to greet her, instead continuing to button a new white shirt and pulling his usual black vest over it.

"How are your wounds?"

This time he graced her with a response, "Don't worry about me. How are the others?"

Typical. Merlin grinned slightly, "Ban is drinking himself silly, so I am assuming he's fine. Diane and King are in good yet rightfully cautious spirits. Escanor is stable; he exerted his magical output, so I'm keeping him unconscious until tonight. Not need for him to transform unnecessarily."

"And Elizabeth?"

There it was. She was wondering when he would ask about the little-druid-who-could. Merlin crossed her arms over her chest as she recalled her examination and discussion with the silverette. "She has extensive bruising on her ribs and visibly over the side she took the damage. But, she is in no danger."

Meliodas turned a contemplative look her way, "So, she's healing herself? That's a relief…"

Also typical. It was impossible to hide anything from the captain it seemed. The mage studied the subtle shifting emotions in her captain's eyes – emotions that said he had known the true extent of damage he had inflicted on the girl. From her initial visual inspection of the princess on the field before returning to the tavern, it was clear she had at the very least sustained a few broken bones. By the time they returned, though, those bones had already mended.

Merlin was more than a little convinced that the power Elizabeth kept locked inside had surged forth without conscious effort. A step in the right direction of returning to her former self – or at least that was the hope.

"Hey Merlin, I need you to teleport me somewhere."

A raven brow rose curiously, "And where would that be, captain?" she asked.

He took a long breath, his gaze trained on the ground, "Liones' Castle."

Merlin descended the stairs, the implications of her captain's intentions keeping her mind busy until she reached the landing and saw the worried expression of the very silver-haired princess she had just reported on to the captain, waiting for her. Without much effort, the mage slipped into a grin and nodded quickly, allowing for the silverette to slip past her to run up the stairs.

The mage didn't usually feel the human emotion called "guilt", but for a brief moment, she felt a tightening in her chest at the relief she saw in Elizabeth's face as she rushed past her. But that moment passed just as quickly as she had.

"Is this really a good idea, Merlin?" King was sitting next to Diane, both of whom looked on like the rest of the sins – sans Gowther – that they all thought anyone being alone with their captain at that moment was a bad idea. Again, there was a twinge of that tightening in her chest as she cast her eyes back to the stairs, "Perhaps not, if there were anyone upstairs for her to find…"

She could almost imagine the perplexed look on the silverette's face as she came to find an empty bedroom… how would she feel? Would she assume that the captain had abandoned them? Abandoned her?

"Whadaya mean? Cap's not up there?" Ban slurred, pointing the neck of his fourth – no, fifth bottle, she hadn't seen the other bottle he had been sitting on until he leaned forward so far that he fell off the table and right on to his face.

"No, the captain went on a little trip." She said, crossing her arms over her chest, knowing the line of questioning to follow.

"What the fuck?! What makes you think that's a good idea?!" Ban shot up sounding nearly sober for the first time since the fight ended.

Merlin turned a skeptical look at the other sins, "I would not have teleported him if I thought anyone was in danger." She stated clearly, a tone in her voice that warned against anyone else questioning her ability to make rational decisions. Frankly, she was the most rational being in this tavern at any given time.

"Where the hell did he go?" The drunken idiot on the floor pressed, feeling rather daring this evening.

As a response, the mage gave a devil's smile, "So many questions and so many of them I refuse to answer."

"Dammit Merlin if you know something - spill! What the hell is going on!?"


	30. Chapter 26: Favors

Good afternoon everyone,

Recently, I've gotten a lot of concerned reviews and messages regarding the story. First, I'd like to thank you for your continued support. I love getting to hear from you all and how much you've enjoyed the story thus far. I would also like to make it clear that I have no intention of quitting this story. Despite what it may seem, this really is my passion - something I try very hard to keep up with in between working and going to school.

We're all here for the same reason. Because we share a passion for reading and this fandom. However, like a lot of you, and like I've stated before, I work full-time and go to school full time. As much as I would love it to be, this is not a job. I don't get paid to do this. It's just a passion, and I love sharing it with you.

This has been one of the hardest years for me (and I don't mean 2017 only), and the past 6 months especially have been tough. All of that time has led up to this past weekend where I had to say goodbye to someone very important to me. So, instead of my usual review comments...

This chapter is in Loving Memory  
of my Grandmother  
May she rest in peace.

* * *

 **Chapter 26: Missing in Action (Part2)**

"I… don't think I heard you correctly. You envisioned... what, your majesty?"

King Bartra frowned at his own premonition. It was a preposterous situation, but his visions were never wrong. His chest heaved with his heavy sigh as he settled back into his throne, meeting the confused and concerned gazes of his holy knights, Gilthunder and Howzer among them. "I foresaw my own abduction. Someone of great strength will come and hold me hostage in a cell. That is what I saw."

But for the second time, his majesty's Holy Knights seemed dumbstruck. Gazes shifting between them whispers wafting through the room like a soft breeze.

"I assure you, your majesty, that we will not let such a thing to happen," Gilthunder stated with little doubt in his voice or features – followed by the boisterous shouts of agreement of everyone around him. Very reassuring... but when one had the ability to see their own future, it was hard to trust the determination of others.

"Did you see the abductor's face, majesty?"

Again, another frown found its place on the king's face. His visions were not always clear, but even he had to admit that this was among his most abstract. Nothing was clear. All he had seen was the cloud of a power he did not truly understand and himself in a cell. He shook his head after a moment.

As if answering their greatest fears, a blast of smoke filled the room, sending all of the knights into a frenzied panic.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

"WHAT'S GOING ON!? IS IT THE ABDUCTOR?!"

So soon? Bartra felt his heart quicken as a strange power filled the room. His captor had come so quickly for him... what could this person possibly want with him?

"Protect the King at all costs!" He heard Gilthunder command in the fog, and then the young knight had appeared with Howzer at his side to stand guard in front of him. Both knights ready to fight.

The haze began to clear and everyone tensed, steeling themselves for the appearance of their latest foe.

Like a whirlwind, the smoke suddenly vanished, leaving someone... much shorter than they had all expected.

"Yo." Meliodas waved from his place in the middle of the throne room, surrounded on all sides by knights with weapons poised for the kill.

"S-Sir Meliodas? Is... is that you?" Gilthunder slacked his defensive stance slightly as he and everyone else took in the Sin Captain.

Bartra understood Gilthunder's continued concern. The power radiating off of this man was unlike the power any of them had felt from Meliodas before. It was similar but greater, and dripping in a feeling of darkness... darkness and despair. However, Bartra knew this to be Meliodas.

"ARREST HIM!" Someone in the crowd shouted, and several of the knights clambered to tackle the man where he stood – and not unlike him, he just stood there and allowed them to do just that.

"W-Wait! That's Meliodas! He's-" Gilthunder began, but someone else quickly cut him off.

"A traitor! A rogue by the king's own proclamation!"

The young knight, as well as others in the room – others who had been there the day the Sins had saved the kingdom from the destruction that was the new generation and Hendrickson – turned to the King with doubt and uncertainty in their expressions.

"I'm sorry, Gilthunder..." Bartra's eyes met Meliodas' from across the room, and in a way, he was apologizing to him as well. It had to be done. To protect everyone involved. To protect his daughter, who was thought to be dead. "As a rogue to the kingdom, Meliodas of the Seven Deadly Sins must be detained."

* * *

This whole 'getting caught on purpose' thing was starting to get real old. But if that's what it took to have a decent conversation with Bartra, then that's what Meliodas was going to do. He stood still and did not fight as a pair of heavy metal cuffs were placed around his wrists. They must have been magic sealing because he could feel the drain on his power... fortunately he was on their side because the cuffs didn't do even half the job they were probably supposed to.

They just didn't meet Merlin standards. They really needed to find a new mage...

It was Gilthunder placing the cuffs, and he kept glancing at his face, looking unsure as ever, but ever the loyal knight, he stepped aside and followed as the others began to lead him out of the throne room and down the long hall.

Meliodas said nothing, instead, keeping his mind busy with counting the number of footsteps he took. He had a plan, and his usual meticulousness was the only thing keeping him from thinking of the most recent past... of her. Of the fear in her eyes... Nope. Right now, he was thinking of the 50...51...52...53...54...55... steps he had taken before the entourage had come to a sudden stop.

"You..."

Meliodas peered around a knight to see the group had stopped when the eldest princess of Lyoness, Margaret, had come upon them. Her gaze immediately found Meliodas... and then it darkened.

"How dare you show your face here!" Margaret shouted angrily as she stormed up and slapped Meliodas across the face – the sound much worse than the sting, but it was enough to shock him. Her palm raised again for another strike, but Gilthunder had wrapped an arm around her and begun to pull her away.

"You!" She growled angrily fighting Gilthunder's grip, but tears had begun to streak her face and her voice cracked, "You were - you were supposed to protect her!" Margaret sobbed, eyes pleading Meliodas for answers. An explanation, an excuse, anything to make sense of the loss of her youngest sister. Answers that Meliodas could not give her.

Instead, the sin captain's green eyes drifted to the ground. For now, it was best that all her rage was directed at him. It was the very least he deserved at this point.

* * *

"Thank you! Have a good night!" Elizabeth called after the last of the patrons as they waved back, faces flush from either too much drink or the attention they were receiving from such a lovely young woman. The smile she had worn for them began to dip slightly as she then turned and began to clear and wipe down the table they had occupied all night.

The bastards just wouldn't leave! Diane huffed, feeling the relief only the flip of the "open" sign could bring her. As much as she loved all the time she got to spend with the interesting people who came in for drinks, this was one shift she was glad to be over with.

"Man look at all these gold pieces!" Ban's fingers twitched greedily above the hull of the evening, his mouth practically salivating before a hoof swatted him away. The giantess watched the men talk excitedly behind the counter as she rounded the bar in search of a broom.

"We're totally loaded tonight! The service was great!" Hawk agreed, and even though the little pig had gotten fewer scraps than usual, he seemed pretty damned pleased.

King floated by the two of them, "Elizabeth really knows her stuff." His tone gave away just how impressed he really was of the princess's service that night. And Diane didn't blame him. It was a rare sight to see Elizabeth so poised. She didn't drop a single plate the entire night. "She makes for a really good bartender. Customers couldn't get enough of her!" he finished, adjusting himself atop his floating pillow.

"Yeah, I guess so…" Diane spoke without thinking, her eyes having found the princess once more. She watched her move like she had no purpose, wiping down tables in mindless circles. Elizabeth was there... but she wasn't. Her mind was elsewhere.

"What's wrong Diane?"

"Didn't you see the look on her face?" Even now, that far-away expression hadn't left her. It was completely heartbreaking.

"What do you mean? I saw her smiling the whole night."

"You're just a dumb boy. Don't you know women know how to smile even when they're upset?" She thrust an accusing finger right at King's nose, and he tumbled backward. His face a mixture of confusion and perhaps hurt at the notion of being 'dumb'.

"How do you know she was upset?"

"Like I said, the look on her face. She just - she just looks like she's not really here. The lanterns are lit, but no one is home."

For the first time, their little group just watched the girl silently. All of them knew why she was like this. Hell, if Merlin hadn't said something to them, Diane assumed that the rest of them would have felt just as dejected. The captain had been gone for three days now... and none of them knew if or when he was coming back.

"Should we say somethin' to her?" Ban asked, and though his tone was cold and uninterested, Diane knew he was just as concerned about Elizabeth's well-being as she was.

"You? No way! You'd both just make her feel worse. Leave it to me." The giantess winked and stuck her tongue out at him. This was no job for a man. As Elizabeth's closest friend, it was her job to comfort the princess in this time of need.

She tightened her grip on the broom handle, nearly snapping it in half in her determination, then made her way back out to the tavern floor, where she began to sweep next to the quiet Silverette.

"What a night!" The brunette sighed, emphasizing each word. She glanced over her shoulder to see that Elizabeth hadn't changed expressions at all.

"Yes... it's certainly been busy the last three days." She said, almost monotone. The girl couldn't even pretend to be happy anymore. And it wasn't wasted on Diane that Elizabeth was keeping track of days... Could she have figured out that the gang had decided to keep the bar open just to help keep her preoccupied?

"Diane?"

The giantess turned expectantly and watched Elizabeth stare at her own hands. "Be honest... do you know where Sir Meliodas went?"

Diane opened her mouth, but couldn't bring the words up. What to do... Should she just be outright? Or perhaps, did she just want to talk? Maybe a straight answer wasn't really what she wanted? Why did being someone's best friend have to be so hard! "Where do you think the captain went?" Diane decided on, choosing to answer her question with another.

Elizabeth never once looked up from the counter with her rag on it, "I don't know, but I hope he comes back soon."

Diane eyed Elizabeth with growing concern, "Try not to worry about it too much I'm sure he will!"

Despite the numerous times Diane had managed to lift the girl's spirits before, she seemed to be lacking this evening. "If it makes you feel any better, he didn't tell us where he was going either," she added quickly, shrugging as she continued to sweep up under the table.

Elizabeth's hands clenched slightly and Diane knew that she had said something wrong.

Right. Of course, that wouldn't make her feel better.

Diane looked down at her own hands on the broom, slipping into her thoughts. If King had disappeared on her and she didn't know where he went she would be just as upset – something she knew from experience. Even the prospect sent a hurtful pang through the giantess' chest. It was a hurt that one did not simply brush off with the encouragement of others. She knew that.

"He must have had a good reason for going." She started, unsure at first whether she was talking about herself and the lingering pain she had felt when King had disappeared so long ago, or the princess. "Try not to worry about it too much, I'm sure he'll be back soon enough and everything will be back to normal." There was a tenderness to her words this time that made silver hair swing as Elizabeth turned a surprised gaze up to Diane. The giantess had let her own hurt shine through, let her true emotions reach out to let the girl know she wasn't alone.

This time, despite the hesitation to believe her, Elizabeth cracked, allowing for a small hopeful grin to tug at the corners of her trembling lips. Her blue eyes brightening underneath the shine of building tears.

"Yeah… I hope you're right."

* * *

"Open the cell."

"Your majesty?"

Meliodas glanced up from his place on the floor as the voices filtered through the heavy stone walls. There was no mistaking the reverberating cadence of the king, even if the guard standing dutifully outside the cell hadn't announced his arrival.

It was about time the man visited. Meliodas was starting to get worried he'd have to break out of prison again…

There was a grinding of metal on metal as the heavy locks were undone and the bars removed from their stocks to allow for the door to swing open, allowing for the light to pour in for the first time in days. He knew it had been days because of the stiffness in his shoulders, which he rolled in the limited amount of movement he was allowed with these cuffs around his wrists.

Then Bartra was standing in the doorway – something of a dubious frown on his features as he watched him for a moment, then turned back to the guard, "Shut the door. I would like to have a private word with the prisoner."

The guard - a kid really. He couldn't have been older than twenty or so – fumbled as his wide eyes darted from the king to Meliodas on the ground, "B-But your majesty! This man is a rogue of the kingdom! I cannot knowingly leave you alone in here with him!"

"That is an order from your king." He stated flatly. His tone came off as tired like there was no point in arguing with a child. And despite the moment of hesitation, the young guard nodded and closed the cell door as he left.

"I heard Margaret gave you quite the welcome…" Bartra said after a moment he had taken to compose himself. Meliodas glanced up at the humored tone he gave, finding the humor didn't reach the man's eyes. It was as if the things he said and did now were for the benefit of others. He took no joy or pleasure out of his own actions anymore – even when berating an old friend.

"How is Elizabeth?"

"She hasn't remembered anything, Bartra. I'm sorry."

"That's not what I asked, Meliodas."

The sin captain studied the King as he sat on the cell's bench, followed the new lines that made up the man's aging skin. Noted the dullness that had begun to cloud once vibrant determined eyes. When had Bartra aged so much? How could the years have gotten away from the man so quickly? Had he looked so old the last time he had seen him? "She's – she's alive." The blonde stumbled over his answer, watching as a rueful chuckle lit up a half-assed attempt at a half smile on Bartra's face.

"That's all a father could ask for I suppose."

It wasn't age that had marred the King, Meliodas realized, it was anguish. The same anguish that drove a peaceful princess to lash out and strike with her own hands, and another princess who normally stood as a pillar of confidence to draw inward and quiet.

The anguish that he was causing them by keeping Elizabeth by his side. Of course, there were risks to being here in the state she was in but wasn't that true about anywhere? Especially around him now? Was she not in more danger now than ever before?

As they sat there in silence, the king began to smile and let out a soft chuckle.

"What's so funny? I don't think I caught the punch-line." The blonde asked, brows cocked in his confusion.

Bartra looked around the small cell, "I had a vision of being in this cell. But, it would appear I misunderstood." One more shake of his head and the seriousness had returned to his eyes, "I can't imagine you came here, risking capture just for small talk."

It was Meliodas' turn to grin, "Sharp as ever." But that grin was short lived. This wasn't easy for him. Actually, this would be the hardest thing for him to do since he had come here asking for Elizabeth's hand in marriage - which he had to remind himself had gone horribly the first time. "I need your help, Bartra."

That seemed to throw the old man for a loop, "Beg pardon? The captain of the most powerful knights in all of Britannia is asking me for help?"

Yeah, sounded pretty strange saying it too. "Hear me out. This... Prince... we've been after. He's not who he says he is. In fact, we found out he's one of the Four Horsemen."

Another strained silence and the blonde was starting to wonder if this was how talking to everyone about this matter was going to end up. "The horsemen? But, they are just legends. Mere fairy tales!"

"Trust me, they're no fairy tale. I've experienced their strength first hand. These are not normal humans – the power they have... it's unlike anything I've seen."

The king's eyes darted back and forth searching him, perhaps gauging his seriousness, until finally, he sighed, "I see... what is it that you think I can do for you?"

This was it – the big question. "Within the coming days... a war will begin. For what? I'm not entirely sure - I have my guesses. But Lyoness' Holy Knights need to be on the front lines."

"You want me to send the Holy Knights to war? A war they have nothing to do with?" The king's no-nonsense tone wasn't unexpected, but his lack of foresight was.

"They might not be involved now, but something tells me that Atlas will come for Lyoness next. He's a madman with the power to conquer and destroy. There's no way he'll be satisfied with just conquering one country. He'll destroy them all - and anyone who gets in his way."

The gravity of the situation hung in the air between them. This was going to be a war that would spread like wildfire if they were not there to put it out at the source. "I assume you have already recruited the kingdom of Camelot then?"

The blonde nodded, "That's right. Arthur has already agreed to back us up." Granted, the guy didn't need all that much convincing. He had practically thrown whatever forces he could their way. And all it took was a single letter from Merlin.

"And will the young king be joining you on the front lines?"

A simple enough question. Fair. But one that Meliodas couldn't and wouldn't discuss in depth, "No. He's been given another task." He wasn't sure he expected the king to get so quiet, but the old man considered him for a long time, before nodding.

"Then I only have but one more question for you. Do you think we shall prevail?"

Again, a fair inquiry. One Meliodas was expecting, but what he hadn't counted on was how hard it was to sound convincing. In reality... he didn't know. There were too many variables. Many of which solely depended on his ability to control his own strength. So it was another first for him to feel this sense of unease... of hopelessness. Could he be trusted this time with the fate of the kingdom?

Again, he didn't know. But he'd be damned if he went down without one hell of a fight.

* * *

Meliodas felt his surroundings change and as he felt the brush of grass on his boots he allowed himself a small breath of relief.

When he felt the warm humid night air lick at his skin, he knew he was back in the south. It was dark - the night late, but the grove of trees he stood in was lit up with the dancing fireflies that called it home.

Now, where was... one giant shake of the ground beneath his feet, and he knew he was right on time. Coming straight in the direction he stood was the giant pig wearing a tavern upon her back. He could see the pointed roof swaying with every heavy step she took.

"Looks like my ride is here..." He grinned, shoving his hands in his pockets, waiting until she got closer before he would start bounding upwards, grabbing the still deployed rope ladder hanging off the side of her massive belly.

Everything had gone exactly as he had planned. Thankfully. It could have gone a lot worse – He could still be sitting in that cell - and frankly, he wouldn't put it past Bartra to be keeping tab of all the times Meliodas had destroyed one part of his kingdom or another. But now he had the support of the Knights of Lioness and that's all he needed at this point.

At the top of the ladder, Meliodas pat Mama Hawk's side with a smile, "Thanks for coming to pick me up! You made great time!" He hoisted himself up onto the solid back as Mama Hawk made a loud noise that he took as a "You're welcome".

The lights in the tavern were still bright, meaning the others were probably still up – so instead of making his debut too early - and if he was being honest with himself, to keep from seeing Elizabeth just yet, Meliodas made quick work of climbing up to the balcony to his room. The room was dark when he pushed the bay window's glass open, climbing through, but faltering the moment moonlight lit up the bed.

There she was... fast asleep looking ever the angel he knew her to be. And with the sight of her, all of the guilt that had been eating away at him for the last three days flooded to the surface. He softly hopped to the floor, rounding the bed slowly, to kneel by her.

It wasn't until he was this close that he saw how puffy her eyes were – even closed. Cheeks flushed from crying and wiping away tears...

The blonde reached up to graze her cheek but hesitated. He couldn't bring himself to touch her. He couldn't trust himself to brush her hair away from her face. Because when he did, flashes of his hands around her neck haunted him.

He'd been apologizing to her a lot recently... not as often in his own words as he probably should have... but this was one apology he would spend the rest of his life making up for...

With one last glance at her, Meliodas quietly left the room and made his way down the stairs, catching everyone's attention the moment he hit the landing.

"Alright everyone, listen up. There's something I need to tell you." Meliodas announced, his words carrying the weight of the decision he had made. Everyone quieted, turning towards him.

 _This was going to be a long night..._

* * *

He felt their presences before they had even stepped foot inside the catacombs. The Prince's eyes darted up to the chamber door in anticipation of his servant's return, a sinister grin already finding its way over his face.

And much to his pleasure, she did not keep him waiting.

Deidra entered his chamber, a look of petulance keeping her eyes cast to the stone floor. And she was quick to drop to one knee, kneeling before him.

"Well?" He asked. The single syllable echoing like a cannon shot.

The blonde's eyes lit up as she finally brought her gaze up to meet his and a wicked smile graced her features, "Everything, exactly as you planned, my prince," Her voice a sultry tone.

"You collected all I asked?" He asked her pointedly, and the long silk that was her golden locks bobbed with her eager reply, opening her cloak to pull a handful of vials hidden within.

"Yes, your highness. The sins left me plenty to gather from." She chuckled, lifting a vial to the light and admiring the dark red hue of the liquid sloshing within.

"Excellent…" Atlas stood from his makeshift throne, taking steps to a door hidden in the shadows to his left. Deidra followed closely as he entered the long hall.

Few people knew of the true importance of these catacombs. Anyone who was not worthy would never understand the secrets hidden here. None of them would ever know that the end was within his grasp.

At the end of the stone corridor was one last door, behind which was the object that would grant him his true desires. The room was large and mostly empty. Save a large stone statue. It was rounded with its middle cut through and passable.

This was the portal to his darkest dreams come true. This was the gate that would usher in his reign over the end of the world. This... was the Apocalypse Gate.

The closer he came to the stone structure, the brighter the runs marking its surface would glow and dance in a demented green hue. Like the stone could sense his presence and the offerings he brought it.

One by one, he took the vials from War, uncapping them and splashing their contents onto the stone face of the gate until he was left with the last two vials. From one he could sense the power of a demon. From the other, the blood of something his own body rejected the very presence of.

At the same time, he poured both contents onto the stone and smiled devilishly. It was nearly time. The world would soon be born anew in his demented design.

But first...

"Tell me, Deidra of the other task I gave you."

The horseman war's expression went from lusty to fiery within moments, having rekindled her rage, "That too is as you predicted, my prince. Tessa has lost all sense. Shall I collect her head for you, your majesty?"

Such a shame. No matter. "No. Stay your twitching hand. Cath will take care of it - he'll bring her back to reason." The implication behind those words made Atlas grin darkly.

The blonde at his side turned hurt eyes up to him, "But your highness! Please allow me to-" her words cut off as he wrapped his hand around her chin and squeezed. Squeezed until he could feel the bone in her jaw start to bow slightly to the pressure.

"I gave you an order, Deidra. Your dreadful twin will find her place and complete her mission. Then I will personally end her."

Deidra squeaked her understanding, and Atlas released her, turning back to the stone, "She is still needed, but once she has outlived her usefulness, her soul will be the first I devour."


	31. Chapter 27: Decisions

Dear Beloved Audience,

Sorry, not sorry.

Love, Dom

* * *

 **CHAPTER 27: Decisions**

Elizabeth sat up in bed, stretching her arms above her and sighing with the prospect of a new day. A new day… that thought caused a heaviness to settle over shoulders. So heavy that she found that she had no desire to get out of bed.

Another day of working. Another day pretending. Another day without… What was the point?

She was glancing up to the window to check their new surroundings – sure to find a new town and new things needed doing when she noticed something most peculiar. The window was open, through which, a light morning breeze made the curtains dance and billow out.

Could it really?

She threw the blanket off and jumped from the bed, nearly rushing out before realizing her state of dress, turned back and put on a clean uniform in record time, to fly down the stairs – her heart thumping with hope.

Please… don't be a dream…

She hit the main landing, searching, finding she was the only one who hadn't been awake yet. All the other sins were already up – sluggish, faces serious and contemplative. Everyone present and accounted for… Except for Meliodas.

And that hope… that budding anticipation, that fleeting happiness abandoned her once more. She had been so sure when she had seen the open window… but perhaps in the night's travels, the window simply had come undone. It was all she could do to resist climbing back up to the bedroom and hiding beneath the blanket and cry.

Diane sighed, turning from her hushed conversation with Merlin, and she looked… shocked? "E-Elizabeth! You're awake!" Her voice sounded unsure, surprised even. Like she hadn't expected her at all.

All other eyes turned on her then.

The last three days had started with someone greeting her. Anyone who spoke to her made extra care in their topics of conversation. Then without fail, the day would be filled with activities – anything really. Work, outings, errands…

But today… today was different. She could feel it in the atmosphere. Something was just… off. No one jumped to greet her. No one started some distracting conversation. No one moved.

She blinked, away confusion, away building tears, and forced a soft smile on her lips, "Y-Yes… good morning everyone."

Diane nodded with a half-smile, but some of the others were less forthcoming, taking long moments before acknowledging her greeting. Something was wrong. Like everyone had come under the same illness overnight. Perhaps they had stayed up late drinking again? Or was it something worse…

"Oh, hey there, Elizabeth."

Her heart stopped, then beat in double time. That voice. Elizabeth swung around to the tavern's front door and there he was. Standing in the doorway like he had never left. As if he'd just gone out on an errand.

"S-Sir Meliodas!"

"Let's go for a walk. What do you say?" He asked, holding the door open for her, and she nodded, taking one last fleeting glance behind her at the others – everyone managing to avoid eye contact with her.

* * *

The silverette walked out of the tavern and Meliodas followed, closing the tavern door behind him. He paused before turning to see Elizabeth watching the door with concern.

"Everyone seems really down today… I wonder if everyone's feeling alright…" She murmured.

"They'll be fine." The blonde brushed off. It was an actuality. They would be fine, but the time it would take for them to get to that point? That was yet to be seen. His job was to be their captain – not coddle them like children.

Which is why he had to do this.

The silverette had begun to walk away but turned back when she realized he hadn't immediately followed, "You wanted to go for a walk, right?"

Meliodas' heart jumped into his throat with the hopeful smile she gave him. He shook his head. Now wasn't the time for hesitation. "Actually I…" Why were the words sticking in his throat? Why couldn't he just say it? "I needed to talk to you about something."

"Oh." Her cheeks lit up in a dusty pink, "Alright. What did you want to talk about?"

He took a deep breath, his next words – which had been carefully planned – caught and he stood there watching her with his mouth open. He willed those words to spill out. For anything to, but the more he willed it, the harder it seemed for him to say. His resolve was slipping from him with each passing moment.

Until that is, he reminded himself why he was doing this in the first place. Those images of her reaching out to him while he squeezed the air from her… "Elizabeth, it wasn't easy for me," his eyes had met hers in his new-found resolve, but he couldn't hold them. Something about the way her gaze sparkled with hope and anticipation made him weak. He couldn't risk losing what little determination he had left. So, instead, he swept his gaze down to the side to stare at the ground, "… it wasn't easy to make this decision."

"Decision?"

"We're about to go up against a pretty nasty guy… it's going to get really dangerous." He paused, not quite able to just rip the band-aid off. It was eating him up. "That's why," His face was burning, his gut churning with acid, with a hatred for himself that he could not let go of. This was all his fault, after all.

"I'm sending you back to Camelot."

He gave himself a moment before he looked back up at her. That dusty flush had escaped her cheeks, leaving her skin pale and her eyes wide. There was hurt there. "What? But, why? I-I thought-" she stammered, and he couldn't bear the questions he knew he couldn't answer so he cut her off with an unapologetic tone.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you figure out who you were. I know I promised we would help you find the person who gave you that ring, but something big is about to happen. I can't have you in the way."

Shocked silent. The first of his deceitful words plunged into her like a knife. He could see it in her face – in the way her lip trembled as she mouthed "in the way" like they were completely foreign to her.

"A knight will be here later today to take you back to Arthur's castle. He's promised to help you in whatever way he can." When he wasn't speaking, Meliodas had his teeth clenched so tight that his jaw ached. Anything to prevent going back on his decision. Anything to keep calm despite the obvious hurt he was causing her…

How did this always happen? Why was he constantly hurting her? Keeping her by his side almost got her killed… sending her away seemed to be doing more harm than good. Surely she would be better off away from all this madness, though.

"No…"

Meliodas blinked, then his brow cocked as he watched Elizabeth. She looked devastated, sure. But there was a determination there that reminded him of when they first began traveling together… back when everything was much less complicated. "No?" It had surprised him. Like she was answering his thoughts.

"I-I can't. I won't!" Elizabeth put her foot down – literally – standing her ground. Despite the things he had said, the fire in her eyes grew brighter with her resolve to stay. "Sir Meliodas, please! I-I can be of help!"

It was that resolve to stay that would be the death of her… and that was a world he could not bear to live in. This had to end. No matter the cost, he had to get her away from here. Even if it meant that she hated him. "No, you can't." He said flatly, choosing to throw emotion to the wind. "There's nothing you can do to help. You'll only be in the way."

Another knife. She flinched back at his callous words, but still she persisted. "But, this is my home! This is the only place I know. You're the only family I have right now!"

"Right now," he emphasized, reiterating that someday she would remember, "Elizabeth, this isn't your home. This is where you woke up without your memories, surrounded by criminals. You have a home out there. You have people waiting for you to come back. I'm not going to let you get into any more trouble than you've already been." He felt his grip start to slip, so he turned back to the bar, back to where things made sense. "Sorry, but I've already made up my mind."

He'd said his piece. It was done. All he had to do to seal his betrayal was to walk back into the bar. Abandon her and make her hate him. All I have to do is walk away...

But he didn't get far before a tug on his shirt made him pause. "Shouldn't that be my choice?" She asked. Her voice was soft and cracked with the tears she finally allowed to flow. Why couldn't she just hate him? Why couldn't she forsake him and save herself? "Why are you pushing me away?!" Her voice rose, but the desperation in her tone made it clear that she was not angry.

 _Why? Why am I pushing you away?_

 **No... don't do it.**

 _Why am I trying to send you as far away from me as possible?_

 **Don't say it.**

 _Because..._

Despite his determination, despite his resolve, despite his mind and body warning him, he turned quickly – enveloping Elizabeth into his arms, holding her tight so that she could not look into his face to see the pain he was in, the torture this was. "Because I can't lose you again!" He growled into her hair.

 _Because... I love you, Elizabeth. I can't watch you die again..._

In that moment, he lost his grip on her, and she leaned back so they both were staring wide-eyed at each other before Meliodas broke their gaze. He'd said too much.

"…Again? Sir Meliodas I-I don't understand! You don't want to lose me… but… you're sending me away?" Tears streaked her face and he could see the pain in her eyes without even looking at her. Why... why had he said those things? Why did he admit it? Now he was just being cruel. Silently, gently, he removed her arms from him, holding her at arm's length, before letting go of her completely.

"It's the only way to keep you safe… Besides... you don't belong here." He said with no emotion. No feeling. His resolve was stronger now, more than ever.

"Please… don't do this."

"I'm sorry Elizabeth… It's already done. Now, go pack your things."

It was like he had ripped out his own soul and smashed it to pieces. He felt empty. He turned back once more to the tavern door, intent on disappearing if fate would allow him that.

"Y-you promised!" She cried out – stopping him again. He didn't turn. He didn't speak.

"You promised you'd tell me the truth."

 _Don't do it, Meliodas…_ He felt the constricting of his chest in the most painful of ways. There was only one truth he could tell her to make her turn away from him. Only one thing he could possibly do to twist those knives so deep that she would run from him for sure.

"I'm the reason you lost your memories." He said without hesitation.

Silence. The bright sunny mid-morning wind blew between them to count the seconds of shocked silence they shared. And then she finally spoke, "W-what?"

"I did all of this to make it up to you. For getting you hurt." He pressed, keeping his back to her.

"You're lying." She accused, quickly.

"I'm not."

"That's… that can't be all."

He turned back to her finally, having swallowed and discarded all of his emotion and replaced it with a serious glint to his eyes. "I'm sorry Elizabeth. But that's all there is to it. To us. That's what I was going to tell you the other night."

New tears had started to flow, and Elizabeth shook her head in denial. "I don't believe you!" As if his words started to break apart her reality, she hesitated before growling out, "How did I get hurt then?! How did I lose my memories?"

"The river."

Shock made her silent again as he twisted her nightmares to his use, reminding her of the one solid memory she had gotten back thus far. "I was being chased because of the crimes I've committed. You were in the way. Because of me, you fell into a river and hit your head."

Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak, but a sob escaped her instead. Her expression, her eyes, which had held hope and desperation now filled with uncertainty... with anger... "So... you... you saved me. B-because..."

"Because I was the reason you were hurt. Nothing more." He deadpanned.

"A-and everything else?"

Meliodas had to give himself a moment before he could speak on the matter. About the nights they had shared together... "Nothing more than a passing tryst, I'm afraid. I thought I owed you. I'd hoped you'd get your memories back quickly and you'd return to your home."

And so, he watched as his final knife, his final deceit broke her completely. She couldn't even look at him. She just stared at the ground, like she hoped it would answer the questions swirling around her head.

"Arthur's knight will be here to take you back to Camelot soon. That'll give you some time to pack and say goodbye to everyone." He said in closing, turning away from her, turning away from the woman he loved more than anyone or anything else in this world. And he entered the tavern, closing the door behind him.

The moment the door was closed, was the moment the giantess' open palm connected solidly with the captain's face, and unlike anyone else who would come up against her strength, he didn't move an inch.

She glared down at him with eyes burning, yet ice cold.

"Diane?" The fairy standing next to her spoke softly, yet the giantess' eyes never once left the captain, even when he could not bring himself to meet her gaze. He didn't even need to look at her to feel her heated glare boring right through him. She didn't say a word, but he could feel her fury pouring off her skin in waves.

Monster. You are a MONSTER! Her aura screamed at him.

Strange. Out of all the things he had done... out of the countless times someone had called him that word... this was the first time he felt he deserved it. This was the first time he felt like the monster they all claimed him to be.

* * *

What does one do when their world is shattered?

Right now, standing alone in the breeze outside of the tavern, it felt like Elizabeth was looking through broken glass. The things she knew... and had come to know... all of it... was a lie?

It wasn't the first time her reality had been crushed – her world turned on its head. But did it have to feel like she had been crushed too? Did it have to feel like parts of her were being cut away from her still breathing flesh?

How much of her reality was nothing more than fiction?

And what was she supposed to do? Pick up those broken pieces and try to salvage what she had left? What did she have left? Was there anything? Did she have anything left to her?

"No..." She sniffled, silent tears streaming down her face, "I guess there isn't."

And as completely soul-crushing as that was, she started to chuckle. Laughing and crying at the same time. Her world was gone. She had nowhere else to go, no future and no past to speak of, and her entire being shook with agony... but there was... relief too. Something about starting all over, from the very beginning - it was like being born again.

She could forget this place. She could live as someone else. _I mean, is Elizabeth even my real name?_ She could be anything. Anyone.

After a long moment of breathing, of convincing herself that this was not the end, Elizabeth wiped her cheeks and allowed a small smile to grace her lips. She had to. It was the only thing keeping her from drowning.

And just like that, turning to the Boar Hat, the tavern she had called home for the last month or so, it looked so strange to her now. So foreign. But nothing more.

 _I can forget..._

So she walked in the door.

It looked like there was an argument going on. All the sins, save Meliodas who was once again nowhere to be found, and Gowther who rarely showed any emotion to begin with, were speaking loudly about this or that. But once they had caught a glimpse of her in the doorway, they immediately quieted.

It occurred to her then, that all of them... had been in on this from the beginning. They all had known. She was the only one who hadn't been aware.

"Elizabeth... we-"

No. She couldn't stand to hear it. So she renewed her smile, "I'm going back to Camelot." She announced, cutting Diane off. As if it had been her decision and not his. This was her choice. She was leaving because she wanted to.

There was a bout of confused glances passed between them. Many of them wanting to say something, but all of them remaining quiet. That was fine. She preferred it that way.

"My escort will be here soon, so I'll go pack my things." Her smile only grew. Because on the inside she was dying again.

Silver hair whipped around as she made a quick retreat up the stairs, only to find Diane bounding after her.

"Look, Elizabeth, there's something I have to-" She pressed, something heavy weighing on her, but Elizabeth didn't – no – couldn't listen.

"It's alright." She brushed off quickly, stopping short of the bedroom door to turn on the giantess.

Pigtails swished violently as she shook her head. "No, it's not! The truth is, he-"

 _Please don't..._

"Diane, really. It's okay." She said with a sweet smile. Anything to keep the woman from sharing whatever she had to say.

"B-But..."

"D-do you mind if I take a moment to myself? I really would like to pack alone, please." She asked, feeling her heart-wrenching. She was pushing away Diane... but she couldn't help the empty bitterness clenching her heart – and the last thing she wanted was to feel that way towards the giantess. She was only trying to help.

But for any of them to lie to her now? Even if to save her feelings? It would break her heart in two. The pain would be unbearable.

She slipped through the bedroom door and closed it quickly behind her before Diane had a chance to respond.


	32. Chapter 28: Farewell

So last chapter's intro was probably my favorite of the series. I knew what the reactions were going to be, and I just couldn't help myself. So thanks for humoring me, and reading despite probably figuring out what was going to happen!

Thank you, everyone, for your continued support. I can't express it enough, but you guys are the reason I do this. That being said, if you like a chapter, please drop a favorite and a review. Even if it's just to tell me you love it, or that you're dying from my obvious abuse of the characters and therefore your hearts! I love reading what you have to say. And it helps me develop the best stories I can!

 _ **Shameless self-promotion time!**_

Want to read something new? Something thrilling? Something sexy and modern? Why not try **Don't Trust Me** by me and FanFicLove2014? It's a modern AU of Seven Deadly Sins, with Elizabeth as a rookie detective trying to bust a gang developing and selling a lethal new super-drug. Go take a look! I promise you won't regret it! You can find that either in the archives or on her profile.

 **I haven't done this in a while, but I feel obligated to do so... REVIEW TIME:**

Leefa: I'm so glad you've joined us! I can't wait to give you more!

NinjaKittinz: When you originally gave me the idea, I wasn't sure what to do with it, but I knew I wanted to incorporate it somehow. It didn't take me long to figure it out, I just had to get to the point where I wanted it. I'm sorry it took so long, but thank you for allowing me to incorporate your idea into my story. It was my pleasure to do so. To answer your question, yes, I have hinted at a third installment to this series, and yes I still plan on writing that. You are also correct in your assumption as to the nearing end of this story line. I will tell you, including this chapter, there are only 12 more chapters left in this "arc". Thanks for continuing to be an awesome person!

Guest: I don't know who you are, and that makes me very sad, but thank you so much for kind words and I hope this helped you get past the heartache!

EJR HorseLady: FF was having some issues with their system, so a lot of people actually missed a couple of chapters. Oh well... they'll catch up eventually. Also... I promise I'm not singling you out, dear! I'm doing this to EVERYONE! MUHAHAHAHA...

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Luv: You know you love my intros. Don't lie. You and I have already discussed your views on this chapter, but I want to repeat that I don't think anyone else is as close to being inside my head as you are.

OTHER GUEST: I mean... I suppose I could have her slap him a couple more times if that would make you feel better! Thanks for the review!

GUEST 3.0: Gah! So many guests! Leave a fake name so I can credit you! I'm sorry I made you cry... but also not sorry... because it was a sad chapter and if I made you feel ANYTHING, I've done my job as a writer. So... THANK YOU. For validating my writing.

Stormie: OOOOHHH I love that song! I'm glad I can still surprise you despite you knowing the entire plot!

Carpenterzac7: Thank you! I'm glad and also sorry that you found it heartwrenching. I repeat what I said before, the fact that you felt anything makes me so proud as a writer. It means the world to me.

 _ **Anyways, as always, I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 28: Farewell**

"What a marvelous day for traveling!" A young knight proclaimed, dismounting his steed and soothing her with a tender stroke to her mane. She had done quite the splendid task of hauling a large wooden cart such a long distance, he just wished he could give her more.

But, alas, their travels were far from over, and he had to save her prized carrots for the remainder of their journey.

Now then, the knight thought as he removed a small sheet of paper from his armor and unfolded it. He looked from the sheet to the town he could see specks of in the distance – a quaint place, not quite large, but certainly not small, that he had passed through not a few hours ago. Then he spun, where on the map was marked with a large 'X', there stood a small tavern nestled just off the beaten path.

"This must be the place, then." He muttered, unsure as to why anyone would place such a sweet little tavern so far away from the town. He shrugged to himself, as his horse did not usually partake in small-talk, and made his way to the tavern door, where he knocked with gusto.

The door opened slightly, and a high-pitched voice called out, "We're closed."

"Oh! I apologize, but I am here on a mission, given to me by King Arthur himself. This… is the Bra Heart Tavern, correct?" he asked, trying to peer in.

There was an audible sigh, "It's Boar Hat…" then the door opened further. Despite his misunderstanding of the name, the Knight was happy to be receiving entry… Until he was met with not a person, but a pig.

"How interesting. The owner of this establishment must have trained this swine to open doors!" He exclaimed, kneeling, fingers cupping his chin in apt curiosity.

The little pig snorted in frustration and slammed one of his hooves on the ground, "You people need to get with the times! Nobody trains me to do anything! I'm SIR HAWK! CAPTAIN OF THE ORDER OF SCRAPS!"

"Sir Hawk?" The knight leaned in further, completely enthralled with the hooved creature, "I've never seen a talking pig before! Let alone one who is a captain of an order! What a marvelous day indeed!"

"Yeah, well, soak it in while you can, rookie. Now, who the heck did you say you were?"

The knight blanched, a sudden wave of dread falling over him, "A thousand pardons, Sir Hawk! I should have introduced myself sooner!" He smiled, and stood from his spot on the ground, "I am Sir Lancelot of Camelot, one of King Arthur's knights of the round table."

"And one of his closest friends, am I right?"

The sudden low sultry tone caught Lancelot off guard, but he quickly recovered the moment he recognized Lady Merlin's voice. "Lady Merlin! I'm glad to see you well!" He beamed a smile at the lady mage, pushing in past the little pig in his rush to greet her. She had been correct in her assumption. Lancelot was indeed a very close friend to the young King Arthur. Had been since they were young.

Merlin nodded but made no effort to extend him any further greeting. "I assume you're prepared for your task then?" She asked immediately, another person with little time or interest in small-talk it seemed.

Lancelot nodded briskly, a confidence about him for his mission. It was one thing to be a knight of the round table – a symbol of justice, of honor. It was another entirely to be entrusted with a personal mission by the king himself. A simple enough task – protect the passenger at all costs. Lancelot had planned the route himself. Nothing but beautiful scenery and quaint towns the entire trip.

Merlin took in his confident aura then nodded again, finding it adequate as she waved to the staircase hidden just across the bar. At the landing stood a young silver-haired woman. He had never seen the girl before but knew of her title. A title he had been forbidden from uttering while in her presence. "Sir Lancelot, this is Elizabeth." Merlin introduced, and the young knight could not help his overflowing enthusiasm as he rushed to her.

"Lady Elizabeth, it is a pleasure to meet you!" He took her hand, clasping it in both of his, before giving her a mega-watt smile.

Surprised at first, Elizabeth pinked before returning only a tenth of the smile he had offered her, "Elizabeth is fine, really." She said, and her unsure words gave way to a softer smile once the uneasiness had passed between them.

"Elizabeth it is, then." Behind the girl sat a small bag or two, nothing extravagant, and Lancelot took them in, "Are you finished packing, then?"

A soft sadness crept into Elizabeth's eyes, as she turned from him down to the small bags at her feet, "Yes. Not much to take with me, I'm afraid."

It did seem sad. The young woman lived here, did she not? To have so little to leave with, was almost heartbreaking. But that was no more his concern as the reason she was leaving. So, he knelt and hefted both bags over his shoulder, "Well, then, we should be off! The weather is prime for traveling!"

Her mouth opened, but she hesitated, choosing instead to nod her agreement and follow him out of the bar and into the sunlight of a breezy afternoon.

Lancelot placed the light bags next to each other on the large wooden cart – one that was largely unnecessary now that he knew how little of the girl's things they had to tow. That was fine. They could fill the rest with food if needed. Lancelot had packed provisions well – but sparse to keep their load light. That wasn't an issue anymore.

He turned to the girl who stood with her back to the tavern, twisting her hands as if torn between wanting to run away and run right back into the arms of the tavern inhabitants, all of whom seemed to have filtered outside in anticipation of her departure. There hadn't been this many people standing in the bar area before, right?

He hated seeing a woman so torn up. It meant her heart was in turmoil, and no one so beautiful should look so distraught. But he didn't have the leisure of granting Elizabeth the time she needed to sort out her thoughts. His mission was to take her back to Camelot – as quickly and as safely as possible. "Ready?"

She looked up, startled, perhaps – maybe the reality of leaving having set in, and the silverette mumbled a 'just a moment' before she turned to the group. She took them all in one by one and then… she bowed.

It's not every day that one sees a princess bow to someone else; especially if that someone else is not of royal blood, but that's what she did. And when she righted herself, there was a bittersweet smile on her face. Tears building and then streaming down her cheeks. Even Lancelot was taken with her. It was hard not to be entranced by the woman, and he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"Thank you." She just barely managed to get out without a sob following her words. "Thank you for letting me travel with you for so long."

It was a touching display. Lancelot decided then that if anyone watching wasn't on the brink of tears, they were black-hearted, if they had a heart at all.

There was a small nod from the silverette as she settled with the words she had passed to the others and had begun to turn away when a woman with pigtails called out to her, "Elizabeth, wait!" This had the princess pausing, but not turning completely to see the other woman push to the front of their group. "Listen, Elizabeth…" the woman's voice broke slightly and she sniffed back tears of her own.

"…I know you must think awful of us… but, despite that, we loved having you with us."

Elizabeth turned to that, and as a group in a show of solidarity, the others around the woman offered smiles and nods of approval and agreement. Tears slipped from the amethyst eyes of the woman addressing Elizabeth as she too smiled. An expression filled with a warming mix of love and sadness. "No matter what… no matter where you go, or who you end up being, you will always be one of us."

"Yeah!" The little pig named Hawk shouted with his own tears choking him up, "And don't you forget it!"

Even as an outsider looking in, Lancelot could feel the truth behind their words and expressions. These people genuinely loved Elizabeth. Which made the Knight wonder...

Why would they send her away?

* * *

Meliodas watched the shifting light cross the grass in front of him. He had let the time pass quietly choosing to spend his punishment alone in the forest. Even still, he'd never be alone again. His guilt would accompany him for the rest of his life, and it was all the company he could stand right now.

He couldn't bear to watch her leave, so he had found this alcove in the forest, some ways away from the tavern - finding the slightest bit of peace in knowing he could suffer out of the sight of the others. It was so much easier to watch the light move across the ground, marking the passage of time. He'd been here for a couple hours now – most of the afternoon. She was long gone by now, but he just couldn't go back yet. He couldn't see how empty the tavern would be without her. It hurt too much.

"It is my understanding that when an action causes pain, most refrain from doing said action."

Meliodas didn't answer. He refrained from sighing inwardly as well, choosing instead to maintain completely aloof. His mind and heart were far too turbulent to manage anything but detachment. He didn't trust himself with anything else.

"What I don't understand is if it hurts you so badly, why do you not go after her? Why send her away, to begin with? The princess was the only thing keeping your power in check."

Meliodas still didn't answer. Or argue. Yes, he was aware of this little fact. The little control he thought he had gotten back was not his own. It was because of Elizabeth's power. Something he had realized after Sudbury. That prospect scared him more than anything. He had wrapped his hands around her throat and even her power was just barely enough to keep him from breaking her neck.

Gowther came to stand to the left of the tree Meliodas sat beneath. His presence intrusive in so many ways. There was another presence just behind him, but the fox's sin seemed content to let someone else do the talking for once.

"I see… You have made a calculated assumption that we will fail. You fear that you will cause the princess harm."

For the first time, Meliodas' eyes snapped up to the pinkette watching him curiously. "Get out of my head, Gowther. I've warned you about that…" Meliodas growled but made no attempt at denying his claims. He was right after all.

No matter how many times he ran the impending battle through his head… he just didn't see a way that allowed them to come out with everyone alive. Especially with his control being the unknown factor. He was neither friend nor foe in this war because he no longer had a say in the control of his own powers.

No matter how much it hurt… there was no way he was going to put Elizabeth in the middle of that… he would not hurt her again.

"So, what're you going to do now, Captain?" Ban finally asked. His voice cold, demanding. "Just gunna run away? Think we're goin'ta lose so you're just gunna pussy out?"

That wasn't his intention at all. And his little speech the night before should have proved that. But he couldn't let Elizabeth get caught up in something she had no place in.

The tall sin finally rounded the tree, staring hard down at Meliodas with a scowl before burying his fist into the tree, splintering it in his apparent anger, "Look, bastard, you gave us all a choice last night, remember? And we all chose to stick with you even though it might mean the end."

Meliodas's green eyes flashed up to search Ban's face, remembering the option he had given them the night before. He'd offered them all a chance to run – leave before the battle began. All of them had decided to stay. If he was fighting, they were going to fight with him.

It was a decision he hadn't extended to Elizabeth.

As much as he hated to admit it, Ban was right. It was time to stop running away. Elizabeth was gone. The battle was on the horizon. With those last thoughts, Meliodas stood, ducking under Ban's arm to head back to the Boar Hat.

"Reinforcements will be here soon. We've got work to do." He uttered, emotionlessly.

The beginning of the end was upon them - and Meliodas had a promise to keep.

* * *

A strong gust of wind whipped through the lands, chilling Elizabeth to the bone before she pulled a cloak tighter around her. It was gorgeous out… but her core was frozen.

"What a foreboding wind…" the knight whistled looking up at the bright sky like it may turn at a moment's notice, "And it promised to be such a great day for traveling." He sighed, shrugging as he did, "We should stop in the town for more supplies," he finished before returning his gaze back to the road and approaching town ahead.

They'd been on the beaten path for an hour or two now, taking their time through the lands. They'd already passed through the closest town to the tavern, so the knight's sudden interest in stopping came as a surprise. "More supplies? I thought you said we had enough provisions to get us through the day?" Elizabeth asked with a curious brow raised.

The Knight designated as her traveling companion was young. Maybe the same age as Arthur appeared. He had choppy dark brown hair that bothered him every time the wind blew it into his face and bright brown eyes that spoke of a purity of heart that radiated with every single smile he offered.

Lancelot turned that kind smile to her then, "Yes, but, just in case the weather takes a turn, I'd like to stop. We have a long journey back to Camelot. Wouldn't want to be caught in a storm without the essentials, now would we?"

Despite how contagious his smile and happiness was; Elizabeth could only manage the smallest of grins in her agreement before she allowed her mind to wander in the lush fields they passed.

She had no purpose anymore.

She had been looking for a place to belong and thought she had found it in the presence of the sins… of Meliodas… but now, she was back to somewhere before square one. No ring to hint at her past, no sin captain to hint at her future. Just a sprawling landscape and the small talk she shared with a knight tasked with taking her away. Heartbroken wasn't even close to describing what she felt.

It was hard to believe that she would be any closer to what she was looking for in Camelot.

"You seem troubled, Elizabeth."

She turned quickly to see those kind eyes watching her again. Like they could see right through to her soul. She couldn't stand seeing her reflection there in the pure compassion of his gaze so she turned to look down at her hands in her lap, content with dropping the conversation. But the image of his eyes drove her to open her mouth.

"Sir Lancelot… if you didn't know who you were… if you had nothing left… what would you do?"

Her heart was hammering. A fear creeping into her mind and chest for what his answer would be. She was so scared he'd say what she was thinking. Terrified that the answer was out of his grasp, that he had no idea… like she did.

She had no path. Despite the bravery she had managed to summon before now, she was left feeling alone in the world. She couldn't bring that courage back to the surface to convince herself that this wasn't the end – that there was something beyond this.

"I'd move forward."

Silver hair flung as she turned to stare at the knight in shock. It was such a simple answer. Infuriatingly so. "What? If there was nothing to you how could one possibly move forward?"

Lancelot smiled again, "Just because I don't have anything, doesn't mean I'm done, right? Even with no name and no possessions, I'm alive. And that means I still have a purpose."

"What purpose?" she snapped a little more harshly than she had intended. How could this man… this person who knew nothing about her pretend to understand?

The knight shrugged, "I don't know. But I'd keep moving until I found it." He watched her, and again she felt his gaze in her soul as he asked, "Wouldn't you?"

The anger building in the pit of her stomach softened as she felt his words reach her, soothing her aching heart. Lancelot was wiser than he let on… she knew he was right. Because despite the heartbreak, she had always been ready to keep moving. She would move forward. She couldn't forget the pain… but she could move forward with it.

She let out a soft chuckle, "Yeah…"

* * *

The room in which she was being held was dark. Darker than any night. Not quite the darkness attributed to her magic, but it was enough to make Tessa believe she was suspended alone in the vast nothingness of the universe instead of chained; hanging from the ceiling of a room far beneath the surface.

In a place where no one could hear her screams…

It was blackness like this that made the mind conjure living nightmares. She felt the slither of liquid gliding down her arms and back – no doubt her own blood, from limbs cut up and raw and wounds covering her aching body, but in the dark, her mind convinced her they were the ghostly fingers of her worst fears. Creatures ready to devour her soul and flesh. A tormented death that would last a lifetime.

She struggled to breathe; panting in complete fear and dread as well as the numerous sharp weapons plunged through her chest. They had been masterfully placed. She would survive each wound, despite her powers restricted from healing her, but it would be agony.

Surely she was close to bleeding out... She'd been here in this hellish prison for days. Weeks? Had she ever actually been free? Had she ever actually seen the light of day? She couldn't remember. Why? Why couldn't she remember?

A red-eyed creature formed in her vision – a creature that looked like her but wasn't her. It crawled closer and Tessa began to panic, noises escaping her; but she could no longer scream. She'd been screaming for days now. How long had she been here already?

The shadow that resembled her, climbed her body, burning her skin everywhere it touched her, making her cry out and choke on blood that flooded her mouth. She could smell the unmistakable scent of burning flesh.

Until the creature was in her face, tilting its grotesque head, molten saliva dripping from its mouth like a rabid dog staring down its next meal.

"Who do you serve?" the creature's voice rang through her head like metal grinding metal. She wanted to cringe, but fear gripped her body. She couldn't move. She couldn't speak.

"Answer me or die here." It spoke again, allowing for a forked tongue to unravel from its mouth to dance up Tessa's neck. She shivered as she felt it slide over her. She felt violated and terrified. She felt helpless and hopeless. She had power, but no use of it. She had been given a purpose and had thrown it away.

She had thrown the purpose the prince had given to her away… for what? Why had she done that? She couldn't remember… why had she thrown something so precious away?

The creature's face contorted as a devilish smile stretched from ear to pointed ear. Rows of pointed teeth gleamed in a light source that couldn't have existed in this darkness. It was going to swallow her up… "Who do you serve?" it asked again, and the finality of its tone warned Tessa that if she did not answer this time, it would mean her death.

"Prince Atlas." Tessa panted out with growing difficulty. "I serve the one true ruler of the kingdoms. Prince Atlas."

The large ugly grin on the creature faltered and it studied her. "How far would you go to prove it?" It asked, tilting its head as a crazed look entered its eyes with burning passion. It was the look a killer gives their next victim.

Atlas was her savior… her prince. The answer was obvious to her now. How could she have lost sight of it? Why had she lost sight of it?

"As far as it takes," Tessa said, terrified, but determined. She would go to the ends of the earth to prove her loyalty to Atlas.

That damnable grin was back in full force as the creature came within inches of Tessa's face, staring deep into her eyes, "I was hoping you would say that…" it murmured dementedly, before thrusting it's clawed hand right through her chest and yanking her still-beating heart from the cavity.

Blood spurted from Tessa's mouth at the same time she felt the restraints around her bloody wrists weaken, allowing her to fall to the ground. She hit the floor, unable to clamber to her hands and knees in her weakened state, but something was different. She could feel it. What was different? What was she doing here again? Why couldn't she remember?

Light blared around her – like a cloud had been lifted from her eyes, or as if walking out into the day for the first time in her life. She blinked away the bulbs in her vision to find someone standing over her body.

"C-Cath?" She sputtered more blood as she choked out his name. What had happened to her? Why did she feel so weak? Why was she on the ground?

"Pestilence… do you know why I hold your heart?" he asked her.

 _My… heart?_

She rolled to look up further, finding that Cath did indeed hold a heart in his hand. It beat in synch with the thumps she swore she could hear in her own ears. Was that, in fact, her heart he held? Why? Why would he hold her heart? She couldn't answer him, instead, she shook her head slowly.

The man hummed softly, then slowly squeezed the bleeding organ in his hand.

More blood surged to her mouth and she spasmed, feeling her entire body go into shock. Her lungs stopped filtering air, her muscles contracted, her mind stopped processing thoughts. And then he released his hold and her body restarted.

Cath, the monster among men, knelt down to Tessa's side, "This is your oath to your prince, Pestilence. I will make sure you remember that oath."

 _My oath? I… don't… I don't understand…_

How had her heart gotten out of her chest? Why was she so weak? She couldn't remember why… why it hurt so badly…

"Now, get up, Pestilence. The Prince's war is about to begin and your role is far from over."


	33. Chapter 29: The Eye of the Storm

******UPDATED 6/10/17******

 **I recently received a guest review that I thought I should address, but as the next chapter isn't finished I wanted to update on here immediately, so I apologize for the re-release of this chapter.**

 **To you, Guest, and to all my wonderful readers; I apologize.**

 **To make you think your reviews (no matter how many I receive) are not enough is wrong. I'm always extremely happy to receive comments on a story. It makes me happy knowing who's out there. And to, for even a moment, make you think you are not enough is terrible, and I'm sorry.**

 **As for your comment about criticism, Guest, all I can offer you as a defense, is that I am human. I don't expect everyone to love what I do. Far from it. But I also find that I don't like being told outright that someone doesn't like my work. A little contradictory, I know. That's why I believe everyone should be heard - your views are just as important as everyone else's. And sometimes, as a creator, I feel the urge to defend my creation - and sometimes I don't exactly do that in the right way. That being said, I keep the critical reviews, just as I've kept yours, Guest. And I'm sorry that I made you feel like your only choice was to post your** **criticism** **anonymously in order to be heard.**

 **I know who you are Guest, and I want you to know that you have been heard.**

 **Consider this me - growing up.**

 **Love,**

 **Dom**

 *****Original Author's note - which, yes, has been altered.*****

 **Hello, Lovelies!**

Hopefully, you don't get sick of seeing me post updates! This is what I wish I could have been doing all along, unfortunately, that pesky thing called work got in the way of that. So glad I'm not doing THAT anymore (Sarcastic comment is sarcastic... *Dom Cries in a corner*).

Anywho, for those of you who went and checked out **Don't Trust Me** , thanks! It's a great plot, and Luv and I are extremely pleased with how it's coming out. Trust me, we update that much more frequently than I've updated this (you know, minus the last like 4 chapters...) So go check it out if you haven't!

 **REVIEWS:**

 **LUV:** I thought you would like Lancelot. I really enjoyed developing his character. But, I recommend you go and do a little research on him. LOL you'll find the truth of his identity from the REAL Arthurian legend to be HILARIOUS. ;). I'm always glad when I give you goosebumps. And twice no less! LOL I love the comment you made about Tessa being just a maid. You've heard my rant about her development one too many times, methinks. I'm really intrigued by your theory about her.

 **LiveLaughLove99:** I'm so glad you weren't disappointed! I'm hoping to keep that up!

 **El1:** I'm sorry to have broken your heart, dear. Though your tears probably added a delightful amount of salty goodness to whatever you were eating at the time! Ah heartbreak... it's such a strong motivator, am I right? I wonder just how this will drive our lovable characters?

 **Cerulean Grace:** My previous reply to you was wrong, dear, so let me take a moment to make it right. You've always been such an amazing person, and an amazing writer. From the first time you commented. To have been told you were unhappy with the direction of the story made me angry, but also very sad, because I felt like I had failed you. I hope you continue writing and reading others who deserve your insight.

 **Carpenterzac7:** Mate, I can always count on you to be the early squad. Usually within the hour of me posting, you are online reading and letting me know what you think. You are awesome, mate. And I thought I would let you know.

To everyone who reads, favorites, follows, and reviews me and my stories... thank you. I've said it before, but you are the lifeblood of this site, and I couldn't do this without you.

 _ **I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 29: The Eye of the Storm**

"What the hell kind of nonsense are you spewing now?!" Hawk squealed angrily. Both of his hooves slammed on the bar's hard wood floors in his protest.

Meliodas had known this was going to be difficult, but who knew it was going to be this hard convincing Hawk to leave with his mother? The blonde crossed his arms and sighed, "Hawk, it's going to be dangerous. You need to make sure your mom gets to safety." He said, and he was having a hard time remaining aloof in all of this. Not only had he sent away Elizabeth, he was trying to send away the one creature that was willing to look after him when the Holy Knights had staged their coup.

Though he'd never admit it out loud, Hawk had become a very close friend over the years, and despite the swine's unusual ability to absorb the power of anything he ate, Meliodas couldn't allow him to stay. It would be too dangerous. Atlas and his Horsemen were not to be reckoned with. And while Hawk had been the reason he had survived Hendrickson, something told the blonde that Hawk wouldn't be as lucky with a run in with a horseman of the apocalypse.

The little pig huffed again, "Look Meliodas, this might have worked on Elizabeth, but you're not getting rid of me. No way. I'm with you all the way, you crazy bastard! So, don't go trying to convince me otherwise!"

The blonde captain shook his head as he watched Hawk trot right past him, "Don't you worry about me and Momma! We're stronger than any old horseman!" And with that, Hawk disappeared back into the kitchen where Meliodas assumed Ban had left out some scraps for him.

Fine. He didn't have the energy to continue fighting him. With one final roll of his eyes, Meliodas went outside, finding the hairs on his arms suddenly standing on end. An uneasiness washed over him – the kind that one feels when lightning is in the air, just off in the distance. Even though the sky was clear, he could feel it.

 _A storm was on its way._

Would they be able to withstand it? And how long did they have until it came raining down on them?

One long glance around the area they'd settled in made him at least a small bit hopeful. Whether they could withstand what was coming, at least they'd be prepared when the lightning struck. The sins were all busy preparing for what was to come.

Diane and King were working together on a new armor set for the giantess that would grow and shrink with her. Unsurprisingly, when she noticed Meliodas watching them, she glared daggers at him before turning away. She was still livid, and it would be a long time before she would even acknowledge his existence. But she was here. He was okay with her being mad as long as she was there fighting beside King.

King noticed her strange behavior and turned too to see the captain, offering him an awkwardly apologetic half-grin, before he went back to help Diane. The Fairy King seemed less angry at him than the others, perhaps understanding more than others the need to protect the person he cares most for.

In actuality, King was the only one who had taken any real time to consider Meliodas' offer to leave. When given the option, the fairy had looked long at Diane. It didn't take a mind-reader to know what he was thinking. And when Diane made her stance clear about staying, he had been hesitant in agreeing. But without much convincing, he chose to stay too. Because of Diane.

Their goal was to take out War. The puppet master who had them fighting each other during their first encounter with her. The woman who had enslaved multiple towns and then set the town of Sudbury ablaze – all to lure Meliodas into her trap. King especially seemed to have an ax to grind with the horseman. And who was Meliodas to deny him that?

The sound of metal clattering brought Meliodas to round the wrap-around deck of the Boar Hat, watching as Ban laughed heartily at the smaller Escanor as they stood over a pile of swords, knives and random objects. The sin of greed had apparently gone and gathered anything resembling a weapon from the nearest town. Escanor was having trouble lifting one of them - a heavy looking pick-ax. Merlin's magic kept him un-transformed until his true power was needed. These two were tasked with taking on Pestilence and the mysterious Famine… the fourth horseman they hadn't encountered yet.

Gowther was nowhere to be found after their encounter in the forest, but Meliodas knew he was preparing as well. Doing whatever it was he did to prepare for battle. At least he was no longer asking him questions that made him want to punch him square in the face. He and Merlin were responsible for dealing with the puppet army Atlas was guaranteed to have marching at his command.

Obviously, Atlas, the horseman of death was Meliodas' target. The mad prince who wielded the scythe 'Ammit: Devourer of Souls' would meet his end. Even if it killed him in the process, Meliodas would make sure of it.

Of course, there was also the possibility that he too would become a foe on the battlefield. And much to the discomfort of his comrades, he had a plan for that too. It was a necessary evil. To win this war, they had to be prepared for anything.

 _And prepared to sacrifice everything._

"They're here," Merlin said as she appeared suddenly at his side, and Meliodas looked up at her quickly, a jolt of anxiety shooting through him before he realized what she had meant. The enemy was not upon them yet.

Just as he had regained his composure, there was a flash of light - bright and consuming and then a puff of smoke that covered the open field just beyond the tavern like an ominous fog. It was quiet at first, but eventually, voices began to filter from the smoke. Lots of voices. And when the smoke cleared, Meliodas gave his first smile in what felt like days.

There were hundreds of powerful, armored, and heavily armed people. Knights of Liones.

"I'm impressed you convinced so many to come." Merlin murmured at his side – her arms crossed and sporting her usual cool grin. She too didn't seem angry at him, otherwise, he assumed he'd be pinned to a lab table somewhere. But for once, the mage was wrong in her assumptions.

"Wasn't me. Bartra was the one who asked them." He said before jumping from the front porch, intent on making his way through the crowd to get a bearing on who was among their ranks. Right off the bat, he could measure their combined power levels and felt content with it. There were quite a few powerful people here. He hadn't made it three feet more before he was stopped short, though.

"Meliodas! Sir Meliodas!" He heard someone shout, and turned expectantly to watch Gilthunder and Howzer push their way up to meet him. Both Knights fully decked out in their armor and ready for the battle.

"I'm glad you guys could make it." Meliodas smiled easily, propping his arms behind his head. "Can't dream of saving the kingdom without you." A lie. He hated that he needed their help. Especially if this fight went the way he thought it was going to. He wanted these young men to be _anywhere_ but here. That being said, they were top ranked knights. He would be counting on them for their support.

Howzer seemed thrilled, pumped even. Much like he had the day of the fighting festival in Vaizal so long ago. He clenched his fists, "I've been itching for a good 'bad-guy' beat-down!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Typically, Gilthunder would have joined his friend's sentiment in his own more reserved way, but Meliodas found Gilthunder staring at him, unsure. "What's up, Gill?"

The young man's face contorted into something like… guilt. Meliodas could recognize that emotion anywhere right now. But, it was strange seeing it overwhelming Gilthunder's features. "I… hope you don't think poorly of me for my actions the other day." He said finally.

Meliodas' brow quirked, "The other day?"

"Having to arrest you."

A small smirk formed on the blonde captain's lips as he watched the young knight he had trained. Such a strong sense of duty and loyalty. He would be a great man. "Don't worry about that. You were only doing your job, Gill."

His words didn't seem to ease him any, though, as the crease remained between his furrowed brow, "I know that… but… to have to do something like that after learning that you were alive all this time-"

Despite the numerous voices of knights conversing around them, Meliodas was deaf to all of them now. He was left staring at yet another person he had caused grief. Gilthunder hadn't been privy to the lie the sins had told to keep Elizabeth safe after their first battle with Atlas. The battle that left Meliodas out of control of his power, and Elizabeth without her memories.

That lie was supposed to keep Elizabeth safe… but it had done so much harm. He'd seen it in Bartra… in Margaret. Oh goddesses, now the princess' outburst made so much more sense now. It wasn't just anger in the loss of her sister. It was anger that he had shown up, _alive_ , when her sister was still presumed dead.

It was like that guilt keeping Meliodas constant company was now punching him in the gut – knocking the breath from him. And he deserved every hit.

"Also, about Margaret… she was just acting out of-" Gilthunder's hand had come up to rub the back of his head – like he was ashamed of her actions – or, perhaps, maybe it wasn't shame. Maybe Gill wanted to explain it away. And Meliodas chuckled ironically.

"Stop. She has every right to hate me. She's entitled to that at the very least, everything considered." A hatred they had in common if he was honest. He hated himself too.

Gilthunder cleared his throat, uneasy with whatever he had primed as his next inquiry, "Meliodas, if you're alive, then does that mean-"

"No." He replied immediately. Maybe it was how fast he had said it, or maybe it was something he was passing to the young knight through his gaze that made Gilthunder's own eyes scrutinize him so thoroughly. Had he given it away? If he had, the pinkette certainly didn't give anything away as his lips parted, but his attention darted to Howzer at his side and he chose to close his mouth instead.

"Anyways… We were all pretty shocked when you showed up out of the blue like that, you know." Howzer added, having remained quiet, allowing his friend to get what he needed to off his chest. But now, he was looking out over the countless people milling about, some of whom had seen them and begun gathering around. They all now began nodding and speaking their agreement to his statement. However, his seriousness didn't last long as he turned a cheeky grin on the sin captain. "But when the King explained what was going on, we couldn't just let the Sins save us again. Not this time."

There was some light cheering all around. And Meliodas couldn't help but be taken by it. So many people looked back at him. Quite a few he knew, personally, or had known in passing. A lot of whom he didn't. All of them looking at him like a long-time friend, an ally, a leader. Assured by hope that their futures were bright in his hands.

Oh, how he wished he wasn't the leader that was about to lead them right into a war that may very well destroy them.

No. They, just like his fellow sins who had come out to meld with the Holy Knights surrounding Meliodas now, had all chosen to come here. It was their choice to fight. And if they didn't make their stand here, now, they would eventually find themselves fighting. But at least it was on their own terms to fight now. That made more of a difference than anyone would ever really know.

He let out a soft chuckle, again, taken. By the irony of where he was standing. "Normally, the person leading the charge is the one who encourages the troops. And here I am being encouraged by all of you."

Guilt seemed to see fit to take a back seat, leaving him this one moment of hopes and spirits rising. He turned and climbed up the few stairs to the tavern's deck to give him height, if only a little – to address the expectant knights and sins. His army…

"I've never been one to sugar-coat, and I'm not going to start now. This will be one of the hardest battles you will have ever fought. You will have everything to lose; you're lives and so much more." He paused, seeing uncertainty ebb into some of their faces. "But we've all stood in this same spot before. Standing as the only thing between the enemy and their goals to destroy everything we hold dear."

There was a chorus of agreements, and Meliodas grinned as that moment of uncertainty was washed away.

"We're _not_ just an obstacle." He affirmed, and the shouts got louder.

"The enemy thinks we'll just roll over and die. But we're going to show them what it means to fight against the Knights of Liones! To fight those with _everything to lose!_ "

That chorus was now a sea of cheers as every knight thrust his or her fist into the air.

His chest swelled with the pride of his peers. With their hope. With their determination. Alone, they were powerful, but together, they were unstoppable. He could feel it in his bones and in his core. They would march to vict-

It started small, a mere quiver. Bystanders would have attributed it to the roaring knights. But that small shake, having gone un-noticed, erupted into an earth-shattering quake that knocked many off their feet. Meliodas had to brace himself as the Boar Hat rumbled beneath him. As the shaking subsided, the bright atmosphere gave way to something new. Something sinister.

Meliodas' eyes widened as the entire clearing and for miles around, he could feel the presence of malice and evil. Lightning had struck the very ground they stood upon, and rattled them like a child's toy. The storm was upon them.

"What the hell?" Ban shouted, but Meliodas was already bounding off the deck and further down the road in the opposite direction of the town. He could feel it get stronger with each footfall, feel that suffocating malice eat at him from the inside like a sickness.

He ran at full speed until he reached the edge of a hill-top that over-looked fields stretching as far as the eye could see. On the opposite side of that vast expanse, quickly encroaching on them like a rumbling sea of death, Atlas led his army - riding atop a horse made of nothing but bone. The horseman of death was certainly the epidemy of his namesake...

The captain swallowed, feeling his power begin to fluctuate and drain in the presence of Ammit, but he steeled his gaze. He was prepared for everything Atlas had up his sleeve for this battle. He was resolved to end this, no matter the cost.

Others had chased after him, and now that they too stood on the hill-top, a collection of gasps and murmurs replacing his contemplative silence.

"There are kids down there…" Howzer growled at one of his sides. This is why it was going to be their hardest fought battle. They would be fighting to protect those who fought to end them. _Everything to lose..._

"Captain! Your face!" King called out as he had appeared too, and Meliodas didn't need King to point out the blood suddenly streaming from a cut on his cheek. The same cut that had re-opened back in Camelot. The same one Atlas had given him back in Direneth.

The blonde wiped his cheek with the back of his hand, ignoring it and the sting of another cut reopening across his back. He didn't give a damn. He couldn't feel any of it anyways.

He'd hoped to have gotten a little more distance between them and civilization before the horsemen decided to march on them, though. To protect the people still living nearby.

He also hoped, sparing a moment to allow his mind to wonder somewhere behind him, that Elizabeth was somewhere very far away right now.

* * *

"Here," Lancelot passed Elizabeth a canteen with a smile, "The herbs that grow outside this town have amazing medicinal properties. It should help."

Admittedly, Elizabeth was growing more and more impressed with her escort by the hour… if not also a little annoyed. He was very kind. And the moment her head had started to ache, he ceased their supply shopping and had made her sit while he had run an errand.

That errand had produced this canteen and what smelled like a very fragrant tea within. He was treating her with so much care that it was giving her a complex.

"Sir Lancelot, I'm fine, really. I've been having these headaches for some time now." She tried passing the canteen back to him, but he refused to take it, so she cradled it instead, "Lady Merlin said that it was probably just the flowers here."

The knight furrowed his brow with a thoughtful frown, "I…suppose that's possible. Especially if you've never lived this far south."

Elizabeth began to nod in agreement when his words finally registered with her, "Wait… what? What do you mean?"

He hummed, "Northerners traveling beyond Camelot typically complain of hay fever. Because of the different flowers and weeds growing everywhere here." He stated factually, looking around and then grinning as he pointed to a small patch of greenery as an example of his point.

To him, it was a fact of life. To her, it was the first clue she'd received in a long time. If Merlin had been correct, then her headaches were nothing more than a reaction to the flowers from the south! Which meant she had lived somewhere north of Camelot before she had lost her memories!

But where? What was north of Camelot?

She nibbled on her bottom lip as she thought hard, trying to recall the journey she had taken. There had been that kingdom… with the grave on the hill. The grave of the princess that shared her name.

Again, she was wondering if Elizabeth was, in fact, her real name. Or had it been another convenient lie? Had Meliodas given it to her to remind him of the princess he had loved?

 _Stop!_ She urged herself, shaking the memory of the captain from her head. The way he looked at her when they had made love… the way he spoke so gentle to her when she had woken up without her memories…

 _Focus…_

Right, she was trying to remember the map she had seen the others using. What was north of Camelot? There had been that kingdom and mountains and…

 _Direneth…_

She looked up surprised at Lancelot as he answered the question on her mind, "What was that?" She asked him – unaware that she must have been speaking aloud this whole time.

"Hmm?" He turned his head back to her, having been watching people mill past them, "I didn't say anything. Were you speaking to me? I'm sorry, I allowed my mind to wander."

Elizabeth chuckled. Did he take her for foolish? "But you just said…" her voice died. Her incredulous expression shifting to blank.

Had he spoken? Surely it had been him, because the voice she had heard was male. And it wasn't a voice she didn't recognize. She knew the voice…

A rather painful throb had Elizabeth reaching to apply pressure to a spot above her right eye. The pain radiated outward in pulses, making her hiss and close her eyes against the surge.

"Elizabeth?" She heard his voice shift from above her to leveled, and she knew he had knelt to get a better look at her, "Are you alright? If you're unwell, we can stay the night in town and travel when you feel better!"

No, that wouldn't do. She wanted to leave and get as much distance between her and the Boar Hat as she could. With a soft cringe, she peeked through her left eye, "No, I'm fine. Please, we have a long journey and I don't want a little headache to hinder that."

He studied her for a long moment, concern and worry evident in his eyes. "Are you certain?" He asked, and she was again surprised by him. People usually told her what was best for her. That's how it had been since she had woken up. Even now, she was leaving the place she had thought she could call home because Meliodas thought it was best. Best for whom, she wasn't sure…

But Lancelot was asking her opinion. He wanted to know what _she_ thought was best. It was strange… when given the option of choosing, she suddenly didn't feel qualified to make the choice.

 _NO!_ A voice in her head screamed, _that is the old you!_

Right. The old her, the one who was being led around by the sins was the incapable one. Of course, she was capable and qualified to make her own decisions. And her decision was to get back to Camelot as quickly as possible.

With renewed confidence in herself, and a subsiding headache, she nodded and offered the knight a soft smile, "Yes. I'm certain."

Lancelot sighed before nodding his understanding. "Alright then." He placed the canteen back in her hands, which he must have taken when the pain had spiked, his eyes encouraging her, "Allow me to finish the shopping. I don't doubt you, but it would make me more comfortable knowing you are resting."

A compromise, then. That, she could concede to. A nice moment to herself would make her feel better anyways. "Alright," she agreed with a soft nod, taking a sip from the canteen to appease the man further – only to find she was rather pleased with the taste.

That radiant smile had returned to her escort's face and he climbed to his feet with renewed vigor, "Marvelous. I will be back shortly. Should you need anything, don't hesitate to call for me." He nodded once more, satisfied he'd made the right decision in trusting her judgement and turned on his heels to traverse further into the busy town and shops.

Elizabeth had watched his retreat with a smile, but now that she was left alone, that smile was dipping. Her eyes scanned the shops and restaurants lining either side of the road. It was a familiar enough setting. New, but variably the same as the other towns and cities she had traveled through with the sins… And that fact was bringing unwanted memories to the surface. Memories that made her anxious of the people walking past her.

She and Meliodas had been attacked in a town just like this once. And though he had appeared to be protecting her, perhaps he had been the actual target. So, didn't that mean she was wrong for the distrust she felt for the strangers occupying the roads and shops?

She shook her head again, gasping as she was reminded of her aching temple. _Don't think about them…_

It was so hard not to. It was the only memories she had.

With a sigh, she leaned back against the brick of the store Lancelot had left her at. The moment her hair brushed the rough material though, she was startled forward by a shake beneath her body.

 _Did I do that?_

It was silly to think she had caused a quake by the mere brush of her hair, she realized with a bashful flush, before looking around and finding other people had stopped – alarmed and disheveled. She hadn't been the only one who felt it. The earth had just shaken. _How strange…_

She stood from her place on the ground, brushing herself off.

And then she was nearly knocked to her rear again as the quake began again, this one much more violent. Glass shattered from windows above. Furniture and carts toppled. People screamed. But, just as quickly as it had ravaged the town, it was gone.

Elizabeth steadied herself, watching as people started running in towards the center of town, citizens scared and trying to get to safety. She turned to survey the damage of the beautiful road, only to find her eyes drawn to a child crying in the middle of the street. People ran past her in panic, ignoring her as they ran. Looking back the other way, Elizabeth found no one clambering to get to her.

The silverette set her sights on the girl, running and pushing past people before kneeling before the child. She was so young… so small. No more than five or six - bright blonde hair in unruly ringlets spilling off of her head. Elizabeth's heart ached, watching her cry in terror, "Hey!" She called louder than the child could scream, "Hi, there, little one," She cooed, and the little girl quieted to heavy sobs - her big green eyes glossy and shining with tears.

"Are you alone? Where are your parents?" Elizabeth asked gently, placing a soft hand on the girl's small shoulder, finding that the girl was shaking. Her lip quivered as she heaved those heavy sobs, but didn't say a word.

A quick peek around them, and Elizabeth found no one trying to come to the girl's rescue. Had her family been hurt in the earth quake? No, it didn't appear like anyone was severely hurt nearby.

 _It's going to be alright… He can fix this…_

Elizabeth shook her head as a wayward voice filled her thoughts… _What? Wait..._ why had she thought those words? Who was she thinking of?

Another pulse of the returning headache and Elizabeth groaned - quick to put pressure on the same spot above her right eye where the pain seemed to radiate from. The action must have scared the little girl because she started wailing again. The silverette bit the inside of her cheek, pushing past the pain to hush the little girl again, "It's alright, Shhhhh…" She pulled the little girl closer, brushing her soft cheeks with a tender hand. "Everything's going to be okay. I'll help you find your family."

The little girl was calmed to sniffles and hiccups now, making it much easier to hear the world around them; the people still screaming; the hum growing louder from beneath them.

 _A hum?_

Blue eyes widened as her body ran cold with a strong sensation of dread. Her mind was still unaware as to the danger they were in, but her body knew. And it acted without her consent, grabbing up the little girl in her arms, wrapping herself as tightly around her as she possibly could. And closing her eyes, bracing herself for what was coming.

That's when the very air and ground around them exploded like a massive fireball – the force of the explosion hitting her like a burning wall from behind. Even when the blow sent both her and the child flying and tumbling across the ground, she refused to let go.


	34. Chapter 30: All Hell Breaks Loose

HELLO LOVELIES!

I know - I know... long hiatus is long. It's been... a shit year. Anyone else thinks so? Like... the whole damn year has been Mars in retrograde. Anyways...

I have to give you guys a HUGE virtual hug right now. The amount of support you've all sent in has been... beyond heartwarming and inspiring. It's because of you all that I refuse to quit this story - even after all this time. Seriously. I COULD NOT ask for a better readership. Thanks. For being the reason I love to do this.

REVIEW TIME:

 **Carpenterzac7:** Thank you, as always for your support. I haven't been the best pen pal to you recently, but know I've been following your work. Keep up the great writing!

 **EJR Horselady:** Thanks for always being a fantastic reader! Sorry it took me 4 months to post again... I'm working on that habit... As for the army appearing, it was a combo spell between Merlin and her old apprentice, who is still serving time in Lioness. I didn't give the screen time to it... cause... I forgot. :P

 **EL1:** Suspense is one thing I know! Lucky for me, most of my chapters end in a suspenseful cliff-hanger! lol

 **Guest:** I hope my updated author's note was enough of an apology to you and anyone else who thought I didn't care. Thanks for keeping me honest!

 **kayla panek:** I have to go back and read too, so don't worry! We can do it together, and gush over that steamy steamy smut scene all over again! Who knows what war will bring? Mayhaps some sacrifice is in our hero's future.

 **jewlzs1420:** YAY! Thanks for being a fantastic reader!

 **fanficlove2014:** I love that I can draw all the feels out of you. Even when we write together. It never ceases to amuse me. LOL... LUV YOU

 **peacerockgirl123:** OH YEAH! *Coolaid man busts into the fic, and we all watch on in apt confusion as he slowly backs himself back out*

 **solula:** SHE TOTALLY WOULD, WOULDN'T SHE? I can see it now! OMG... and a sweet like hipster tat to go with. And one side of her head fashionably shaved. What were we talking about?

 **50shadesofawkward:** I'm so glad you're excited! TUNE IN NOW FOR THE EPIC CONTINUATION!

 **Kiyonegirl:** OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH! I think its hilarious that parts of my storyline up with events from the manga... but I posted them WAY before the creator did! MUHAHAHA I CAN SEE THE FUTURE. AND... The future may get lemony for our fairy and giant!

 **Vhosek:** Thank you so much for such a wonderful review! I hope you continue to enjoy!

 **white tiger freak:** Here you go! Your dose of addiction!

 **Freefan1412:** I've already pm'd you about your series of amazing reviews, so I'll keep this short and sweet: Thank you again. It was a real pleasure getting to read your thoughts and theories!

To everyone else who reads, reviews, favorites, and follows... THANK YOU! You continue to drive me to do my best and post when I can. There are only 10 more chapters of this story, and I hope to have them all out by the end of this month!

 ** _As always: I hope you continue to enjoy this crazy adventure!_**

* * *

 **Chapter 30: All Hell Breaks Loose**

It was now or never.

Meliodas took a deep breath as he stared down Atlas from across the battlefield. The prince was trotting out alone to the mid-point of the field. An antiquated form of chivalry generals of opposing sides shared before the bloodbath began. As a prince, though, Meliodas supposed it was something the man had grown up taught to do.

Or maybe it was a power play… While the former was more likely, he wouldn't put it beneath the prince to wage his own personal form of psychological warfare before the swords were even drawn.

"Be on your guard, Captain," Merlin warned once he made his decision to meet Atlas on the field. "Ammit's power is already affecting you from this distance. There's no telling what he'll attempt when in range." Her eyes remained glued to the opposing side, her gears turning, her mind formulating an attack plan for dealing with the hundreds of shrouded puppets standing like a wall where the prince had left them.

Even from this distance, Meliodas could make out the distinct energies of those on the battlefield. The puppets making up Atlas' army were nothing more than normal citizens. Not a single fighter among them. But that's what they'd be doing, against their will.

"Fuck him." Ban spit, the itch to fight is all over him like a bad stench. He's bouncing from foot to foot, ready to charge at a moment's notice, "That dirt-bag makes a move you don't like and we'll end his ass," he exclaimed rather confidently.

It's a confidence Meliodas hoped to carry with him when meeting the madman.

"Are you sure about this?" King asked, his glare fixed to one of the cloaked figures marching as a lead to the prince's left. The energy around them was unmistakably War's. "Going down there like that feels like you're marching right into another trap," the fairy finished, decisively less confident than Ban – but rightfully so.

"If things turn ugly, I'll pull you back," Merlin answered, and that's all the blonde captain needed to solidify his own confidence in how this little meeting was about to go.

With a few quick hops, Meliodas was on the field making his way to meet Atlas, his hands were in his pockets - ever the visage of confidence despite the uncertainty he felt. War was just as much about attitude as it was power. Right now, the blonde's soldiers standing at the ready behind him needed to see that confidence.

And confidence is what he gave them as he took his sweet time making his way out. His own take on a power play if you will. It also gave him an opportunity to really size up the numbers. Numbers that Meliodas didn't like. Not in the least. They were vastly outnumbered. But that's all Atlas seemed to have going for him. The prince had to realize that…

So why did the madman look so damned pleased with himself as the blonde finally stood within the same space as him?

Meliodas peered to either side of Atlas, taking in the major players. To the left, War offered him a sickeningly sinister smile that oozed hatred – she was just as ready to get this battle started as Ban had been if not more so. No… _definitely_ more so. This woman was as sick and twisted as they came.

His gaze shifted to the right where he found Pestilence, Tessa, standing like an obedient pillar – unmoving, her eyes dark as they remained glued to the ground in front of her. She seemed so much more distant than the last time he'd seen her.

That wasn't all. He counted three… felt three. _Just three…_ He scanned the fields and even as far as the Boar Hat behind him and still could not detect the mysterious fourth's energy. "Was there dissent in your ranks? Cause they're looking a little thin, Atlas," Meliodas said nonchalantly, turning his gaze back on the madman now squaring off with him – having dismounted his creepy looking skeleton horse. What the hell was that thing anyway? "Shame. _The Three Horsemen of the Apocalypse_ just doesn't have the same ring to it." He shrugged, playing coy, ignoring the growing ache that accompanied Ammit's pull on his power.

Atlas' piercing blood-red eyes narrowed on him, but that didn't stop the malicious grin from spreading over his lips, "I could say the same about your ranks, Dragon Sin…"

What the hell was that supposed to mean?

As if answering the question that was obviously written on his face, Atlas' gaze swept over the formation Meliodas' army had made to match the enemy lines, "I see you're missing someone too." His grin only deepened as emerald eyes widened a fraction. "A lover's squabble, perhaps?" He chuckled to himself, "No matter. Both of their absences will be short-lived, I'm sure."

Meliodas' blood ran cold with the implications behind the prince's words.

 _He knew…_

The blonde could feel the color and blood draining from his own face.

 _Elizabeth is in trouble…_

Atlas had somehow known that he planned on sending her away? How? Either way, there was a missing Horseman and goddesses only knew how many miles between him and Elizabeth at this point. Could he make it in time? He didn't know which route back to Camelot the young knight had chosen for them, but there weren't that many. He could search them all – but would he make it? That didn't matter. He had to try!

Two seconds. That's all it would take for Meliodas to signal for Merlin to teleport him away.

He blinked, his mind made up, his course of action planned – all he had to do was give the signal. But in that millisecond it took him to blink; to complete something so natural… everything had changed.

The entire atmosphere had shifted again. All the malice that had spread over the battlefield now centered around him. Meliodas didn't blink again. He didn't swallow. He didn't flinch.

"You weren't thinking about leaving… were you?" Atlas' tone turned accusatory as his arm was now outstretched; the massive, double-bladed scythe known as Ammit wrapped around and behind Meliodas, pressing to his back – primed and ready for the kill. One pull and he'd be cleaved in half.

He couldn't leave. Moving would mean his head, as Atlas would surely take it before Merlin had a chance to pull him away. He was Atlas' unwilling captive now. No doubt his plan from the start. The power play…

Meliodas took a deep breath, matching glares with Atlas. "Wouldn't dream of it." He countered with a bite. There was no guarantee that Atlas wasn't bluffing. Saying anything to get under his skin – make him panic. He couldn't let him in like that. No, he had to assume Elizabeth was safe somewhere far away, otherwise, he'd go nuts. Besides… he couldn't leave the rest of them to deal with this bastard. Atlas was his target. And he had sworn to end him no matter what.

Right now, 'no matter what' felt like his soul being sucked from his body being this fucking close to Ammit…

"Wonderful. I was afraid the _fearsome_ Dragon Sin had decided to turn tail and run. I have high expectations of you entertaining me today." The prince sneered, making Meliodas' blood boil, making his darkness itch to escape.

 _Not yet._ The bastard would get what was coming to him… but not yet. It was too soon to lose control. He owed it to himself and everyone else to make this guy pay, and that could not come to pass if he'd lost all sense before the war had even begun.

 _Patience_ … he told himself; beckoning for the darkness threatening to overtake him to allow him this moment of rational thought.

There was a dark chuckle from the mad prince as he retracted the scythe, swinging it skillfully by the hilt before it dissipated back into his shadow. "With this, I declare war on you, Dragon sin," Atlas' gaze burned with his dark ambitions. Meliodas could feel the resolution behind every single word he spoke, "You and the rest of the world. This world will be plunged into Armageddon and will soon belong to me!"

 _Armageddon?_ Something seemed strange in this choice of words. Why end a world you planned on ruling? Was there more to all of this? Something he was missing? It was a mystery he didn't get long to ponder as the prince suddenly turned and began walking away. Apparently, their meeting was over now. This was it. The beginning of the end.

Meliodas glared at the prince's back as he considered his options. There weren't many left for him – Atlas had seen to that. One more moment watching as the raven-haired prince mounted the horse of bone before he signaled behind himself. Not a moment later, he was standing beside his closest comrades.

"What the hell was that?!" King squawked the moment the blonde was aware of them.

The captain ground his teeth, making sure to remain stoic in expression, "It was a warning." He said, feeling the weight of what was to begin. "Everyone, listen up. They're missing one of their members. Keep a sharp eye out – he may be lurking around somewhere."

"Those bastards are playing dirty, eh?" Ban's knuckles cracked loudly.

 _There's also the possibility that the fourth is after Elizabeth…_ He shook those thoughts from his head. Thinking about her only made him want to chase after them all the more. But he wouldn't put it beneath the mad prince to have his underling waiting in the wings for an opportunity to strike – especially now that he'd planted the idea in Meliodas' head that Elizabeth might be in danger.

His thoughts were interrupted as a resounding cry erupted from the enemy's side. The puppets all crying out in a chorus of blood-thirsty screams.

"It's begun…" Merlin's voice hardened as the enemy began rushing the fields laid before them like a dark wave crashing over the land.

Meliodas' fist's ached as he clenched them. He pulled his sword from his scabbard, lifting it into the air to signal their advance. His own war cry quickly drowned out by the cries of the holy knights that rushed the fields to clash with the enemy.

* * *

Ringing. Bells ringing, chiming, reverberating. The ring was a long-sung note at the same pitch. A pitch that was headache inducing. It drowned out everything else. Even the sounds of her own breaths. Was she breathing?

A cough escaped her, as Elizabeth remembered how badly she needed air. Then another fit of coughs. It hurt. It hurt to…everything. The taste of dirt and dust in her mouth certainly didn't help her breathing problem.

With some effort, the silverette opened her eyes. There were spots of light and darkness in her vision as she managed to finally focus on something. What was she looking at? There was a puddle of red. Concrete and red. _Blood?_

Elizabeth's eyes shot open, despite the pain it caused her, as she tried to peer beneath herself. A task that proved more difficult, given the heavy slab of concrete that leaned against her back. With as much strength as she could muster, she used her arms to push the slab with her back – groaning as its weight finally lifted as it teetered over, crashing loudly to the ground.

Finally, she had enough room to see the little girl nestled in her arms. She was unconscious, but otherwise unharmed. _I'm so relieved…_

But if the girl wasn't hurt…

It was then that Elizabeth felt the liquid crawling down her face and dripping to the ground below. A tentative hand came up to investigate, finding the wound over her right temple and making her wince. But that wasn't all. In her shock of waking beneath the rubble, she hadn't noticed the painful throb in her leg until now. Her leg was caught beneath another piece of concrete. One much larger and heavier than the one she had just barely managed to push off her back.

"This… is bad…" She grimaced, finding the pain growing as the shock wore off.

There was the pattering of foot-falls and Elizabeth pushed up to find the sound. People running towards them, screaming. More townspeople!

"Help! Please!" She cried out, but many of them ignored her as they ran past in fear. "Please! I have a child with me! Someone please!"

One of the men at the back of the group had looked at her, the fear froze perpetually on his face – and despite her calls, he still ran past them.

"Please! Just take the child with you! That's all I'm asking!" Elizabeth screamed, feeling a sense of helplessness wash over her. But there was no way she could protect a child in her condition. Nor could she ask for anyone to risk themselves for her sake.

The man who'd looked at them faltered, turning back hesitantly to look between Elizabeth and the road ahead that promised supposed safety. He looked so torn. That was, until he ran back towards them. "Wh-what can I do?" He asked, kneeling down in the little room they had left between fragments of concrete.

Elizabeth pushed the unconscious girl up towards him, "Take her with you to safety. Quickly. She was alone. Her parents are bound to be in town!"

The man's eyes shifted to the slab that crushed her leg and to what she assumed was the state of her forehead – his gaze was so full of fear and guilt, "I'm sorry… I wish… I could do more-"

"No, it's alright. I'll be fine. Please, just take her and go!" Elizabeth urged, keeping the resolution in her voice.

Again, the man looked to her leg. A grotesque purple color marred her skin that was visible at the slab's edge. Her limb was badly damaged, and that fact drove more guilt into the stranger's eyes as he cradled the child closer to his chest. "I – I can send someone to help you." He offered hesitantly, but even he had to realize the possibility of that was unlikely.

Elizabeth shook her head, feeling the weight of her pain sitting on her, encouraging her to pass out. She was terrified. Oh, goddesses she was scared. And to make it worse, she was alone. No sin captain to save her this time. She had no idea how to protect people, let alone herself; but she wasn't about to let anyone else get hurt.

The stranger understood her unspoken desire, even when that made his face screw up in some combination of self-loathing and unease. "I'm so sorry," he whispered to her, climbing to his feet with the child in his arms and running back towards the center of town.

It was quiet then. Mostly, at least. In the distance, Elizabeth heard the shouts and screams of people and the rumbling of more explosions somewhere else. But for now, this little, battered street was at peace. It made it hard for the silverette to keep her eyes open; to stay focused on what she had to do next.

Laying here broken wasn't an option.


	35. Chapter 31: Madness

_Hello, Lovelies!_

 _Thank you all for all of your support. You have no idea how much it means to me._

 _I've taken so much inspiration from your support, and because of that, I've begun including many of you in the story. Keep an eye out. More of you will be featured later._

 _In an effort to push out as much as possible though, I'm going to forgo my usual long Author's notes for the remainder of the story, unless I see ones I want to reply to publically. Otherwise, I'll send you all little Dom Love letters over PM._

 _8 Chapters left. The countdown begins. _

_I hope you all continue to enjoy this crazy (and many times delayed) adventure!_

* * *

 **Chapter 31: Madness**

It was time to get up.

A feat easier said than done. Elizabeth was pinned at an angle – half laying on her stomach, which made trying to get any leverage on the concrete holding her hostage, that much more difficult.

But she had to try.

First, she used every bit of force she could to try pushing with her hands. The concrete budged but the slightest bit – leaving her panting and aching from the strain.

"There… has to be a way!" She panted out, pushing uselessly against the rubble again, before throwing her fists down on it in frustration with a groan.

The street grew silent again without her protests and she sat there trembling. In fear. In pain. Tears began welling up on her, and she forced her eyes shut to keep them from falling. To keep herself from falling apart. Because she was so close to losing it.

She had sounded so brave… so confident… so sure when she'd spoken to the man who'd taken the child. But when she was alone, and all was said and done…

"I-I can't do anything!" She gasped, fighting back sobs on the verge of lumping in her throat.

She was just a useless woman who required the protection of those stronger than her. She couldn't even unbury herself. After everything she'd been through; after everything she'd endured, she couldn't even do that much.

Suddenly, Meliodas seemed so right for sending her away. She really was just a burden on others. How often had she depended on him or the others to come to her aid? How often had she acted as an obstacle to them?

She expected to feel a wave of helplessness wash over her, but instead, she was met with her own anger simmering to the surface.

Anger at how weak she was.

Anger at how quickly she seemed to want to give up and wait to be rescued.

Anger at Meliodas… because _he was right_. She was just in the way. And she hated that.

Anger at how she thought for even a moment that she could be useful to them.

 _So, now you're crying?_

She heard the lovely soft cadence and wiped her cheeks roughly with the back of her hands, "I'm not crying!" She yelled as her frustration mounted, only to find she was yelling at no one.

But she could have sworn…

Whose voice had that been? It sounded so familiar.

Her temple throbbed, and Elizabeth had to shake all thought from her head. _FOCUS…_

She couldn't wait here. She couldn't wait for someone else to save her. She couldn't be weak anymore. She _HAD_ to do this. If she planned on surviving whatever was going on, she had to stand on her own two feet. Which meant…

She had to rescue the one pinned beneath the slab.

Determination lit up her blue eyes as she began looking around, "There has to be something here."

If she couldn't move the concrete with her hands, maybe there was another way.

She searched the rubble all around her, scanning until her eyes landed on a long wooden board – it had splintered from part of the building that had crumbled from the force of the explosion. It was perfect, though. Long and thick enough that it would be able to handle the weight of the slab, but thin enough that she'd be able to maneuver it without much effort.

It wasn't far out of her reach, either. She stretched as far as the slab would allow her to, grasping it by the tips of her fingers at the jagged end and pulling it towards her, inch by inch. Ignoring the ache of splinters pressing into her fingers and palms as she was finally able to pull it free and towards her. It took a couple of tries to get it positioned correctly in a place that would have the most effect. She'd use it as a lever, placing one end under the concrete and using another piece of rubble as the balance.

Now, the question was, would she have the strength to use it? Pulling with her hands alone proved fruitless. She'd have to use her whole body. With a huff, she pushed herself up – draping herself over the plank. It hurt so bad; the way she had to twist her leg just to do this much. But she didn't let that deter her.

She pushed, with everything she had – feeling the weight of the slab start to lessen on her leg. It was working. She had to push harder!

Elizabeth cried out as she gave more strength than even she thought she was capable of. She pushed until she could not feel the pressing force of concrete on her skin. She was free. All she had to do was move her leg.

Shock rattled her strained body as a new realization hit her.

She couldn't move it. Not by itself. Even trying sent terrible jolts of pain through her.

And if she didn't move soon… the slab would come back down, and she'd be stuck for sure. Fine. She'd have to pull it out – and fast. Her limbs were starting to shake.

With a couple of quick breaths, she pushed even harder, heaving the wooden board as close to the ground as she could so that she'd have less distance to clear. "Alright," she huffed, "o-one… two…" Before she had even reached three, she reached out and pulled her leg free; rolling off the plank and allowing for the heavy slab to come crashing back down and sending a cloud of dust into the air.

Somehow, the pain was even more excruciating now that she was free. Just the act of grazing the purple skin was unbelievably painful – making the silverette feel faint and sick all at the same time.

"No… I have… to get up…" bile built in her throat, and she swallowed it back. There was no time to sit here feeling sick. She had to keep moving, or risk getting caught up with whoever was responsible for destroying the town.

The leg was nearly useless to her as she used the rubble to help her to her good foot, leaning against it, using it as her crutch as she tested putting weight on her broken limb. It could hardly support her, but it was enough that she could start pulling her way through the rubble that had surrounded her.

"I have to… Lancelot… I have to find Sir Lancelot!" Finally, she managed to secure herself against the nearest building. Blood and sweat slipped down her face as she stood there panting, evaluating the streets. "Sir Lancelot!" She called out, but no one responded.

She'd seen him walk further into town. Did he get caught in the explosions like she had? Was he hurt? Or what if he'd met with an unfortunate fate? Elizabeth shook her head, feeling the ends of her silver hair brush against her back.

He had to be in town. Surely, that's where she'd find him. That's where everyone had been running to, so it was safe, right?

Getting there was going to be a challenge. Every step took nearly as much effort as it had to pull the leg free in the first place. Dragging it along felt like she was walking on knives. Had the concrete really done so much damage?

It was a question she refused to examine it for.

She'd made it another two storefronts, calling out Lancelot's name when a soft grumble caught her attention. She hobbled another few steps to peer around the corner, finding a man lying on the ground; his head hung low where he leaned up against the store's bricks, and his face dripped with blood that painted his torn shirt. He was hurt.

But so was she. She turned her face away from him, determined to continue down the road. She could hardly save herself. No one could possibly expect her to save anyone else.

Elizabeth was surprised by the wave of guilt she felt. The same guilt she'd seen reflected in the stranger's face who couldn't help her.

Had he thought those very words to himself? Is that why his face had betrayed how much he seemed to hate himself? Was he guilty because he had chosen his own life over that of another?

Was she feeling guilty because she'd made the same choice?

But, more importantly… could she live with the guilt… knowing she could have helped?

Her answer was clear.

Elizabeth pulled herself along the wall towards the groaning man, moving faster in her quest to assist. "Excuse me? Sir? Are you alright?" She asked him tentatively, coming closer and managing to kneel with him.

He was covered in dirt and smelled of burnt skin and hair. He had the same tale-tell signs as she did. He'd been caught in a blast too. Perhaps even the same one she'd sheltered the little girl from.

He didn't respond. Only groaned softly.

"Sir?" She leaned in further, her hand reaching out towards him.

His eyes shot open - wide and focused on the ground in front of him before sliding eerily to her at his side.

She'd paused when his lids had suddenly opened, but now she was starting to pull back slowly as she took in the blood-red shade the whites of his eyes had. "S-sir?" She asked again, feeling the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

The man watched her, unblinking for a moment - maybe he couldn't understand her? Maybe he was suffering from the shock of being hurt in the explosion?

Despite her fear for his health, something kept her from being able to reach out to him again; rooted to her spot.

Maybe, it was the slow grin that began tugging at the man's lips - an unnatural sneer, like someone was tugging at strings at the corners of his mouth. Maybe it was the raspy uptick in his breath. Almost like the panting of a hound.

A raspy panted breath that gave way to the man's voice as he hissed out, "Foooouuuunnnnd Yooouuuuu…."

 _What?_

"I ffouuunnd Yoouuu…" He hissed again like it wasn't even his voice. Like he'd never uttered a word before.

What was wrong with him?

 _Run…_

Elizabeth heard the voice in her head urge her to flee, but her body wouldn't follow her directions. She was confused and petrified - frozen as she watched the man slide up along the wall from his place on the ground - eyes never once moving from her. Never once blinking.

He swung himself to face her straight on; the glint of a large meat cleaver that he must have had hidden at his side now clutched tightly in his grip. The joints in his arm cracking as he twisted his limb up in unfamiliar ways raising that meat cleaver over his head.

 _RUN!_

This time, Elizabeth's body moved, the pain of her broken limb forgotten in her haste to scramble back - avoiding the sharp blade suddenly hurtling down at her.

She heard her own voice as she cried out in fear, pushing through the pain to get to her feet and escape.

 _Why?! Why is he attacking me?!_

She limped back to the main road, looking behind her briefly to see the furious downturn his features had taken at missing his target, then finding his glare turn up at her. If looks could kill - she'd be long dead.

There wasn't time to look back anymore. She had to keep moving.

She had to get to the center of town.

Something was seriously wrong here.

Elizabeth pushed herself to hobble down the road as quickly as her body would allow, resisting the creeping urge to glance over her shoulder.

She didn't need to look. She could hear the steady cadence of footfalls like thunder in the distance. They were slow - much slower than her injured pace, but each step of the man echoing off the empty buildings around her sent a new pang of fear through her being.

 _I have to hide…_

If she could just get out of sight of her pursuer long enough, she could find a place to hide - at least until she'd gotten some of her strength back. She was much too slow right now.

There was another road up ahead. She'd just have to get far enough away-

Elizabeth rounded the corner - free at last -

"FOUUUNND YOOOUUU!"

Weakness saw fit to steal Elizabeth's balance just in time to avoid being cleaved in half.

"What? A-another one?" the woman's body trembled to its very core as she found yet another murderous face glaring menacingly down at her.

First an explosion, now this?!

Elizabeth scrambled to her feet once more - she'd have to run in the opposite -

Three more men with swords and pitchforks swayed back and forth as they rambled down the street towards her, all of whom had the same blood-red glint in their eyes.

"More?!" She turned - one from the south, one from the east, two from the west… She had no choice but to continue north, further into town.

How much safer would it be though? She seemed to be running into men intent on killing her on every road she ran down!

This time, she did not hesitate to break out into a full sprint. Her adrenaline pumped, keeping her from feeling the pain in her leg, but did not stop the sudden throb in her temple.

It was a throb that was accompanied by the sudden sense of deja-vu. Why did she feel like she'd been in this position before?

It wasn't the time to get caught up in her own thoughts.

Ahead of her, she found another two men coming into view from a nearby road, both turning their intense gazes on her as she ran past. Even more of them… how many of these people would she have to avoid?

As she ran away, she could hear all of them behind her screaming out "FOUND YOU!" as each new addition joined the mob of lumbering men.

Why were they screaming that? Did that mean they'd been looking for her specifically?

Then wouldn't that mean… even if the center of town was safe… that she'd be putting everyone else in danger if she made her way there with these attackers following her?

Just because they seemed intent on harming her, didn't mean they wouldn't hurt others.

No - she couldn't possibly lead them any further. She'd have to hide elsewhere!

"There has to be somewhere!" She cried to herself, bolting past yet another fruitless road. At this rate, even if she did find a clear path, there was so many following after her, she'd never be able to hide without someone noticing!

 _What would Meliodas do?_

That was easy. Meliodas would be able to fight back. He wouldn't have to run away like a coward.

She shook her head as she continued to run. No, fighting wasn't an option. But a distraction, maybe? But what? It's not like she had anything on her. Nor did she see anything on the road.

On her next foot-fall, though, she felt the tremors.

 _More explosions?_

She slowed to a jog as her gaze was guided up to the billowing smoke of the most recent eruption, turning the sky a haze of dark grey.

 _That's it!_

Elizabeth took off down the nearest open road, headed right for the line of blasts.

Explosions meant chaos. No one would ever expect someone to run right back into it! And as bad as it made her feel to hope for it, she hoped there would be enough chaos - smoke and otherwise to hide her from her pursuers.

Somewhere safe. She needed to find somewhere safe. Was that possible in a minefield?

Each footfall became more and more unsteady as the trembling ground grew more violent the closer she got to its epicenter.

One thing she knew for sure - the number of murderous men coming out of hiding had grown fewer in number the further she ran. Perhaps she wasn't so useless after all. Reckless as it had been, this was turning out to be one of her best plans yet.

Just as that hopefulness began to fill her, she nearly avoided being blown-up as an explosion from the other side of the road sent her colliding with the stone face of a building. Making her ears ring and temple ache as her vision blurred.

 _Focus - Don't get distracted, or this will be your grave!_

One solid shake of her head and she was pushing off the building and scrambling to climb over the large holes and overturned concrete slabs that made their place as her obstacles.

A glance behind her granted Elizabeth another ray of hope. The mob of men chasing her was falling behind. To make matters better, just ahead, blocked from the view of the main road was a door to a building - largely untouched by the explosions.

Finally, the goddesses were smiling on her.

The moment she'd busted into the building and slammed the door shut behind her, a wave of relief so strong hit her that she had to steady herself against the frame to keep from falling.

Now wasn't the time for celebrations, though.

Elizabeth panted hard as she pressed herself up against the door, ear pressed to the wood and listened for the foot-falls.

She didn't hear them approach, though. Had she really lost them? Had her plan actually worked?

The door hadn't been locked when she came rushing through, but now, she made sure to secure it. Though, given the instruments she saw many of the men carrying, she wasn't sure if one measly lock was actually going to stop them.

But at least for the moment, she was safe.

There was the softest of hums - a whimper in the darkness. Then another voice shushing them somewhere in the room, and all that relief was gone. Elizabeth was on high alert again, looking up into the darkness of the building she'd rushed to barricade herself into.

Safe was such a relative term. And Elizabeth cursed herself for not thinking to check to make sure the building was clear before blocking herself in.

The silverette braced herself, ready to flee at a moment's notice. It took a moment, but soon, she was able to make out faces - many faces.

But none of them looked on her with deranged blood lust - just fear.

Women and children huddled together in groups in the dark corners of the room. Presumably, for the same reason she'd found shelter.

So, she wasn't the only one they had been after.

She hated how much that thought put her at ease. It hurt too much to consider that she'd been the reason everything had gone to hell for this once beautiful town.

"Were you attacked too?" A young woman whispered as she stepped out of the darkness. Her concern evident as her eyes danced over Elizabeth's face.

The silverette's fingers immediately went to the gash on her temple. It was still bleeding. But she turned a soft smile on the young woman, "I'm alright. It's just a scratch," she promised, "What about all of you? What happened? Why are those men attacking everyone?"

"Those men?" Another woman spoke out, her voice carrying with anger, and receiving a few pleas for her to stay quiet, "Those _men_ are our husbands and brothers!"

 _Husbands and brothers? They are all from this town?_

"Soula… that doesn't change the fact that they've all lost their senses!" The young woman who'd approached her, looked back to Elizabeth, "It was this morning. A great number of the men from our town became ill this morning without notice. We thought that perhaps a plague had made its way to us."

"A plague?"

"That's right… we were going to close the borders to the town just in case. But the elder… he ordered for the town to remain open to travelers."

But why? If the people feared that plague had begun to spread through their town, why would the elder choose to risk others to it's spread? And what did that have to do with the men outside trying to kill them?

The woman named Soula huffed indignantly, "It's because of that wretched old man that this all happened! If he had thought more about our people and less about his wallet, then we wouldn't be in this mess!" she shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself as tears started spilling down her cheeks, "Gibbon… my love… he wouldn't have been taken over by that sickness."

"You think that a sickness is making the men attack others?"

"What else could it be?! They were perfectly fine just yesterday! Now they've all gone mad after catching ill!"

"But what about the explosions?" the sickness she could understand - sort of… but that still didn't explain the explosions.

The young woman shook her head, "This is one of the outermost towns in the kingdom of Camelot. We just assumed it was a neighboring kingdom taking advantage of our weakened state."

Elizabeth never claimed to be an expert in politics or strategy - or anything else, for that matter, but something about that just didn't seem right to her. A large city close to the kingdom's capital - sure. There would be a major advantage to taking over if that was the goal. But a small town on the very outskirts? There was no advantage…

"I'm Anna, by the way. What's your name?"

The silverette was pulled from her thoughts to look back to the young woman, "My name?"

She nodded, gracing her with a kind smile - despite the fear she knew the young woman must have had, "You're not from this town. I would remember silver hair like yours. So you must be a traveler."

Said silver hair tickled her back as she nodded, "My name is Elizabeth. I was passing through with a companion when the explosions began." As she spoke, the realization hit her and her eyes went wide with renewed concern, "Wait! My companion! I have to find him!"

Anna scowled, eyes flicking to the barricaded door, "I'm not so sure that's a good idea right now."

No, of course, she was right. With so many of those men out for blood and the unrelenting explosions across the town, there was no telling how much trouble she'd run into before she could find the knight. And what if he'd succumbed to the illness too?

From the sounds of it, only the men had succumbed to this strange illness. What if being here had affected Lancelot?

All at once, while lost in thought, everything around the building became deathly quiet. The quivering of earth from explosions elsewhere in the town ceased. Even the wind that had been playing softly with the buildings loosened shingled roof seemed to disappear.

Then, all at once, "ELLLIIZZZAABEEETTTHHH..." The men's calls rang out in all directions outside. Like the wailing of lost souls. It was a sound so eerie, it was like she was stuck in a walking nightmare.

They... were calling her name…

Why? Why were they calling out for her?

"Give me ELIZABETH!" They all called out together as one unified voice.

"Give me the girl and you will be spared! KILL HER AND BRING ME HER HEAD!"

Anna at her side shot her a worried glance, "Are-are they talking about you?"

The silverette, terrified, couldn't form words as she glanced to Anna, and then the whispering women huddled in the room. "I-I don't…" She'd begun to shake her head, arguing with the mere idea. No - this couldn't be her fault. Someone else. It had to be someone else they were calling out for.

She opened her mouth to voice those very arguments, when the sharp edge of an ax splintered the door, and protruded between Elizabeth and Anna, making them both turn stunned eyes towards its source.

The ax wiggled back and forth before it was pulled free from the hole it had made in the thick wood door, and a crazed eye could be seen, peering in at them.

"ELIZABETH! GIVE ME ELIZABETH!" The man growled, followed by the howls of others outside.

They'd found her. What was worse was now she wasn't alone. The silverette's heart thudded painfully in her chest as she looked between the door now taking a beating and the women scurrying to the back of the store, voices picking up in their fear.

"They're looking for her! Throw her out!" One of them shouted as she draped herself over a crying child to protect them. There was a chorus of others agreeing with her - all of their eyes turning desperate.

The atmosphere in the building was starting to feel a lot like the malice encircling the building as the terrified women eyed the silverette like a sacrifice to ensure their safety. "All we have to do is throw her out, right?"

"They asked for her head…" another whispered, "If we killed her this might all end!"

Elizabeth took a step back, only to jump with a cry as the ax collided with the door once more and voices could be heard from all sides of the building.

"Now wait!" Anna insisted, "We don't know that! They could be looking for anyone named Elizabeth! Please!" She urged, a gleaming ray of hope and sense in the madness stirring in the darkness of the little shop.

"ELIIIZZZAAABBEEETTTHHH!"

 _I'll protect you..._

In all the fear and chaos threatening to crash in around her, there was a moment of clarity for the silverette. A single thought. A moment of unreasonable desire. A desire to protect.

All she'd wanted was for a fresh start, and when all hell had broken loose, all she had wanted was safety. These women… were no different than her. Given the chance to protect those she loved… would she not do whatever it took?

She couldn't say she'd sacrifice someone else, but certainly she'd give herself up if it meant protecting those around her.

 _I'll protect you! I swear. Even if It means trading my life for yours…_

Another debilitatingly painful throb in her temple nearly sent Elizabeth to her knees. Whose voice was that? She pressed a hand to her head as she willed the throbbing away.

No, that didn't matter now.

"Anna," Elizabeth's voice came off unsure at first - but morphed to resolute as she continued, "Is there another entrance to this building?"

The young woman spun on her, "What? No, you can't go out there! They'll kill you!"

A few of the other women descented to her trying to stop the silverette, but all quieted as a small smile crept over Elizabeth's lips, "It's alright. Really. I'll be fine."

Anna was dumbfounded as she stared at her, "B-but… why? Why would you do that? You're in as much trouble here as the rest of us…"

In truth, she had no idea. She was so scared. She wanted to hide and cry - but that would only ensure her death. Over the last couple of hours, though, even though she didn't give herself a lot of credit, she'd learned a lot about who she was. Not in memory, but in strength.

She wasn't strong. She couldn't fight like the sins. She couldn't fight off attackers. For the most part, she'd done nothing more than run and get hurt.

But she hadn't given up. And she'd also gone out of her way to protect and help complete strangers. A desire she was feeling creep through her now as she looked on the scared women and children. A feeling she'd had for someone else once - and made her stand up and do things she didn't know she was capable of doing. "I'd like to believe that I'm the kind of person who wanted to save as many people as I could." She answered, feeling some truth in it as soon as the words passed her lips.

Confusion clouded Anna's face, but she also didn't argue any further. "You're crazy," She admitted, but sighed, turning to look towards a back corner of the building that hid a hallway in the darkness, "I won't stop you if your mind's made up, though."

Elizabeth put a reassuring hand on the woman's shoulder, "Thank you. Wait till I've led them away and I want you to get as many people out of town as possible. Can you do that?"

A nod was all the silverette received from her, but that was all the confirmation she needed.

Quickly, but quietly, Elizabeth made her way to the back of the room and then down the hall, followed by Anna and a few of the other curious women, where she found a door blocked by overturned shelves. A safe measure for sure. But it meant putting the rest of the women in danger if she moved them.

There had to be something else.

A sliver of light caught her eye, though. A window in an adjacent room that was blocked by another bookcase. That could do.

It was large enough that she'd be able to get out easily, but easily blocked again once she was gone. If they were quick enough, maybe even before any of those deranged men outside noticed they were there.

"Can you help me move this?" she asked, and Anna hesitated.

"What do you plan on doing?"

Elizabeth peered out through the window from what little room she had, noting fewer of the men around the window and this road in general. "I'm going to get out through here and lead them away. Once I'm away, you should block this window again."

A quick nod, and the young woman was at Elizabeth's side, helping to heave the shelving out of the way.

Light filled the room from the intact window.

That was one obstacle. Now she just had to break the window. Though, that meant drawing their attention before she even managed to get out of the building. No, she was going to have to jump through it.

She turned to the on-looking women, "Does anyone have a cloak I can use?"

They looked between each other before one of them nodded and passed Elizabeth the cloak from her own shoulders. It was heavier than Elizabeth had expected. But it would be perfect for her purposes. She grabbed tightly to the hems, pulling the cloak around her and taking steps back, with her eyes set on the window.

"Y-you're not planning what I think you are?!" Anna whisper-yelled incredulously, only to receive a small grin from Elizabeth.

"Remember. Cover the window. I'm counting on you to get these people to safety."

It was now or never. She had to do it before her nerve slipped away from her.

Elizabeth took off in a full sprint, jumping and twisting, throwing her back through the window - shattering it and throwing herself back outside and to the ground with a heavy thud over the shattered glass.

She opened her eyes slowly, finding herself unharmed and the women quickly closing off the opening.

 _I-I did it! I actually-_

"FOOOUUUNNNDDD YYYOOOOUUUUU!"

The silverette scrambled to her feet as a few of the men at the end of the road spotted her and pointed their weapons at her. This wasn't the time for celebrations. She had a job to do.

"I'M RIGHT HERE! COME AND GET ME!" She screamed, taking off down the road, stopping long enough to allow the men from the other side of the building to see her and start to ramble after her in hordes.

She was their target.

She wouldn't let anyone else get hurt because of her.


End file.
